I've heard of women referred to as battle-axes before, but machine guns? That's an escalation. That's like entering a Mustang into a soapbox derby or bringing sex in a box to a family potluck. Unnecessarily increasing the tension of the situation. Inappropriate too. Or at least it would be if the band All Young Girls Are Machine Guns were anything like their name implies. Thankfully they're not. Instead of seeking out hostilities, the group represents a full détente, a mixing of passionate exuberance and comfortably nested joy that also happens to sound so god-damned hip and swagicious in its retro-phase reminiscence that you'll almost forget that the '60s were... well, 60 years ago. These are lovers, not fighters, or at least good ol' wholesome entertainer types. The last thing they're sniffing about for is a scrape... unless that scrape opens up into a sanguine affair, in which case, they might already have a 5-stage plan of attack. The group's debut LP Don't Let The Music Fool You reaches our ears after more than a decade in the making and provides one of the more scintillating and consistently captivating revivals of nearly-departed and stubborn nostalgic gestures and styles of sound and ambiance this side of sockhops and dates to drive-in theaters. This might not appeal to everyone, but I've found it to be as cool and refreshing as a summer mai tai, or the feeling of letting the ocean roll in between your toes while you watch the sun tuck behind the horizon. The Omaha-based doo-wop and roots R'nB group is led by vocalist and "guitarist" Rebecca Lowry, who actually wrote most of these tracks on a ukulele- a fun fact for those of you who may need a reason to find this material even more charming and effervescent. I put the scare quotes around "guitar" because Rebecca's instrument of choice is a notable and fantastically thematic prop; shaped like an M-16, her instrumental doesn't load full-metal jackets, but does display a certain mettle, one oriented towards devotion and a preparedness to fight for the affection that one feels they deserve. If love is a battlefield, then you'd best pray for peace, because whatever you're packing, All Young Girls Are Machine Guns's has already got you... *drum roll* OUTGUNNED.
