The Radishes: Strychnine

The Radishes feature Wayne Kramer on a song here. It’s always a good thing to have a member of the MC5 around if you want to consider yourself a true rock and roll band. But The Radishes don’t just rely on Kramer’s cameo chops on this four-song EP. Oh no. The group’s title track is a brawny, ballsy and brazing rock tune that sounds like it came from the streets of New York, namely the same streets The New York Dolls once roamed. On the other hand, The Radishes ramble through the boogie-filled and groovy “Astronaut Love Triangle” which is a slow burning kind of track thanks to the vocals and guitar work of Paul Stinson (no relation to Tommy or Bob that we know of). At four songs, there’s not a lot to get overly excited about, but they make each moment count, whether it’s on the garage-y “Nowhere/Somewhere” or when they make a bold statement and cover the John Lennon tune “I Found Out”. And they do the song justice thankfully by putting their own subtle spin on the great original.