This Is Not A Rebellion (Buddy Miller)

Album review

In the early 2000s, Redd Kross was on hiatus, and in between stints with Ze Malibu Kids and playing bass with the White Stripes, Steven McDonald decided to get a solo project off the ground. The Steven McDonald Group's This Is Not a Rebellion is the result, and not too surprisingly, it sounds like Redd Kross with similarly loud guitars, big fuzzy hooks, layered harmony vocals, and a light-hearted approach. The best songs on the EP sound like they could have been big hits in the heyday of the alterna-rock craze of the early 90s; "Get Jimmy" is a tambourine-slapping rocker with a heart of pure bubblegum; "Strange Arrangement" is a hooky and sweet song with background vocals by McDonald's wife, Anna Waronker, and the cover of Kim Fowley's silly "Motorboat" is a blast of glammy fun, fun, fun. The main factor that differentiates this from Redd Kross is a more direct and live sound with very little of the studio gloss that plagued some of their records. That, and Steven's lead vocals, which are just as good as his brother's. This Is Not a Rebellion is the one-and-only record by the Steven McDonald Group; soon after its release, McDonald dissolved the band to concentrate on the newly revived Redd Kross. Too bad, the SMB showed a lot of promise. Redd Kross fans should be sure to pick this EP up.

© Tim Sendra /TiVo