The trio of Matthew Reed, Patrick Reed and Kevin Shubak--heretofore known as Mount Carmel--hails from Columbus, Ohio, but if you're expecting lo-fi, greaser's palace pop a la Psychedelic Horseshit or Times New Viking, think again. Mount Carmel is a straight-up blues rock power trio. And by straight-up we mean sans revisionist three-dollar currency, Sub Pop grunge hybridization or ironic posturing. These guys have been weened on a diet almost steadfastly consisting of British blues/rock innovators: Peter Green-era Bluesbreakers, Cream and Ten Years After are immediately recognizable in their sound (in fact, the latter's "Hear Me Calling" is covered on here). This isn't a lark or something these guys are doing between noise projects--it's their life. Good, old-fashioned rock 'n' roll, plain and simple. Some folks never made time for punk, just like you've always snubbed your nose at the drum solo. Hard to believe, right? But just because you didn't live through it the first time doesn't mean you're not doomed to repeat it. The piquancy of '70s-era redbud fusing with the aroma of banana- (or strawberry-) scented paper burning and hanging in the air, the sweet cascade of Ripple hitting the back of your throat, the blurry exotica of Rorer's ubiquitous 714... it's all here, undeniably, unpretentiously and unwittingly realized. In fact, their sound is so genuine, you'll swear you were dead! Or at the very least unborn. Dig it.