The T's "Capital T"

[Jahfin]

http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A173245

BY RICK CORNELL

This debut from Raleigh's The T's comes courtesy of Doublenaught, the local label that brings us fellow straight-ahead rockers Terry Anderson and the Olympic Ass Kickin' Team and The Cartridge Family. Among the three, you'll maybe find a frill and a half. Then again, it's all perspective: When you just want rock, a band led by twin-engine guitars can represent the height of extravagance, and The T's are nothing if not guitar-driven. Throughout Capital T, guitars slice, shred, chop and quite possibly dice, as though The T's were the Ronco Pocket Guitar-Rock Band. They thump. They chukka-chukka. They whiiirrr. They scream "Buy my tape!"

Atop The T's Axe Mountain are "Goin' Nowhere" and "Big Girl Pants." With abundant hooks and short, irresistible choruses, the pair speeds to the intersection where rock 'n' roll veers toward power pop, although the Raspberries never shared a musical musing like "but goddamn you look good in handcuffs." And speaking of law enforcement, "The Police"—which comes off like the welcome second coming of Nazareth—is not an ode to Sting and his mates. But songs do tend to be about friends, foes and lovers, and the writing is as straightforward as the sound: "Like a train on the loose" is as poetic as things get here. But can you resist the sing-along fun of "She got an electric dryer/ She got a deep fat fryer"?

Likely, the four T's make music because they get to yell, make some righteous noise, and sometimes use free drink tickets. And, yeah, because they like guitars. Me too.

The T's play Slim's Friday, Feb. 8, in celebration of Capital T. Show time is 10 p.m., tickets are $3, and the Lonely H opens.

Listen to the T's:

http://www.myspace.com/thettttt