Myles Deck and the Fuzz

Upbeat and gritty, compact yet explosive, Myles Deck and the Fuzz are a short, sharp blast of school garage meets pre-punk rock, as evidenced on this three-song single. From the title track's feel of controlled raucousness that the Hives always strive to prtray - and they'd probably grumble at not writing this tune first - to the Dead Boys/Stooges attack "Ayatollah" and "Boom! Boom!," there is a distinct atmosphere of revelry that abounds. That said, where Myles Deck and the Fuzz are a lot of fun, they're not exactly reinventing the wheel. The songs are almost too uncomplicated. The same simplicity that makes the band a great soundtrack for the more casual moments in life also ensures that there isn't much of substance for, well, anything else. Still, we all need those vacuous times and Police Cops easily fills the void. (From Here To There).
- Keith Carman

I�m halfway through a post highlighting the top artists to watch out for
here on the East Coast, so get excited folks. In all seriousness
though, with little to no fanfare, bands from the Maritimes are pumping
out stellar release after stellar release and musically, I'd say these
days are as good as almost any era I can remember (at least on par with
Sloan, Super Friendz, Thrush Hermit and trailing only the dominance of the MC J and Cool G period).

Hoping
to do my part, I�ve been going through as many of the new releases as I
can, hoping to get people excited for the rest of �08 and beginnings of
�09. So where am I going with this? Well, Myles Deck and the Fuzz are going to make the list. When they put out there last release, I said �instead
of useless tracks about not fitting in and simple three chord
progressions, Myles and the rest of the Fuzz hit you in the teeth with
raw, Stooges style songs and a swagger that lets you know they don't
give a f@ck if you aren't into it.�

Flash forward to their new 7� � Police Cops
� and it's obvious the band has found their stride. They still ooze raw
energy, but the band seems to have tightened the screws. Everything
sounds bigger, badder and most importantly, better. You might be able to credit some of that to the engineer who worked the session (Joel Plaskett), as he�s certainly helped fine tune the sounds of some other notables, but I think most of the credit belongs to Myles and his Fuzz.

It�s
no secret that punk and garage bands get started because they can
barely play their instruments and most never get past those sweat
inducing three-chords and songs about girls, but Myles Deck and the
Fuzz have moved past all of the stereotypes of a band hoping for a
rebirth of sound. They might be firmly indebted to bands like the
Stooges and the Stones and the rage of an era that has past us by, but
they get better with each release and have the chops to make songs that
are more than adolescent, teenage anthems. They have evolved to songs
that are fist-pumping bangers that demand repeat listens and have something to say.

The lead single - Police Cops
� is an anti cop smoker that could have been the voice of protest in
the late 70s. Instead of another dose of the folk musings and slide
guitar that dominate the indie scene, MDatF jump start the record with
a surge of energy, nice oohs and ahhs, sing/shout choruses and raw
power. Ayatollah uses terrific
guitar work and booming drums to drive the song, but it�s the exhaled
breath that cuts each line that makes the track such a success.

It
might seem simple, but the band seems to know exactly how to control
their fury and energy and keep you moving without overwhelming you. The
first two tracks are rock solid, but the highlight of this vinyl slab
is the closer. Boom Boom - at
least for this band - is an epic (hitting the three-minute mark), but
it shows the band can write songs that can appeal to a much bigger
audience. It's a more mature sound, and one that hopefully the band can
harness moving forward. With more and more people embracing that grit
of garage rock, Myles Deck and the Fuzz should be getting more
attention and hopefully that will start soon. ~herohill.com
- Herohill.com

Punk music has been having a hard time of late. Despite bands labeled 'punk' competing with rap and hip-hop artists for radio dominance, its an empty competition between marketer's creations. Heavy black eye makeup doth not a punk make. I am by no means being novel or innovative in my broad criticisms of mainstream or pop-punk; music journalists have written volumes on Good Charlotte's candy-coated teen apathy anthems. But it's important to specify just what I mean when I say Myles Deck and the Fuzz are punk--these guys have a raw sound and talk about more than being bullied because of excess eye makeup--and they show their chops on Beware the Fuzz!

The Halifax punk outfit eats 'punks' like GC for breakfast while channeling the punk greats of old, most of all The Dead Kennedys, Iggy Pop, and The Stooges. The band is at is best when it's reenacting Raw Power- which it does quite well. The core of Beware the Fuzz! is screaming guitar riffs, busy basslines and short punchy songs. The vocals are solid, with the requisite transition from melodic crooning to gravely screaming happening flawlessly, a real strength given the short run time. The songs are about drugs and hopelessness, but have a sense of fun to alleviate the foreboding sentiments. The band showed its lighter side at the end of the record. A fake movie advertisement promotes the band as the world's only hope "in a world of fire and bears, and bears on fire".

All twelve songs clock in at a total of just under 29 minutes, on the track's frantic energy. Despite being short, all the songs have character, there's no filler on this disc. For the songs you can imagine Jonny Rotten's manic stare fitting perfectly with Myles Deck and the Fuzz's sound. My favorite tracks on the record are "I Love My Baby" and "Filthy Addiction" both of which are short, head nodding tracks that have killer guitar riffs and high powered choruses, but I don't mean pop harmonies-these songs are all rock-with lines like "Excuse me baby are you the anti-christ?" from "I Love my Baby". Beware the Fuzz! is 30 minutes of high octane punk rock done right.

-The Argosy (Mount Allison Univsersity news paper), Vol 137, number 15
- William Gregory, The Argosy

Myles Deck & the Fuzz combine a lot of elements that scare people. Crashing drums, bluesy bass lines and heavy metal guitar slides really make people who always thought listening to Sum 41 meant they were punk rawk a bit unsettled.

Instead of useless tracks about not fitting in and simple three chord progressions, Myles and the rest of the Fuzz hit you in the teeth with raw, Stooges style songs and a swagger that lets you know they don't give a f@ck if you aren't into it.

But the thing is, I don't even think that these Haligonians want to be type cast as just another garage band. All too often that is simply a dismissal. The way they add surprising elements like the acoustic blues intro on Thrill Seeker or bust into huge metal licks shows they are trying something bigger and better than rehashing the same old riffs. Master of the House is a perfect example. They settle into a shocking melody, before hitting you with a change of pace break down that evolves into some huge thrashing slop; all in three minutes.

The garage blues rocking sounds hit hard and quick; two-minute tracks with feverish energy. Obviously, I like this band more than Maximum RnR - who simply said that the record made them "want to track down everyone on their thanks list and kill them" - and I think if you listen to Halifax is Burning, you will too.
- HeroHill.com

Myles Deck and the Fuzz

Gearing up to release their new album, Beware! The Fuzz this Saturday at the Attic, Myles Deck and The Fuzz (Myles Deck on vocals, Dale Boudreau on bass and guitar, Travis Davis on guitar, Al Hoskins on bass and Jordan Oakie on drums) together play quite the mixed bag of blues, country, surf, straight-ahead "blue-collar classic rock" and punk.

"Despite all the differences in our taste for music, we can at least agree on one band, The Dead Kennedys," says Deck. "There's also an interest in '60s surf, country and blues and all of that Americana stuff. Can't forget about The Stooges, either."

A familiar-sounding mix of classics and trashiness, a listen to their debut album (on From Here to There Records) highlights Deck's strong vocals. He can pull this off and really sell it at the same time. Switching effortlessly from speaking to screaming, and using a judicious hand with the distortion, the lyrics also stay in the retro theme.

"I was a big fan of sci-fi/horror movies and comics as a kid. I think these themes find their way into my songs. There's also a lot of everyday grief I write about," says Deck. "I'm pretty new to songwriting and I think it's going to take a while before I can really tap into those good vibrations." (SJ)
- Stephanie Johns, The Coast

The only misstep on this split seven-inch might be the upside-down back cover. Both bands commit some of their best material to vinyl and the result just might be the best release in the From Here to There catalogue. The Fuzz offer up "Lights Out! Electric Co." and "Healing Power," both sporting a nice Dead Boys influence. The Cuban Assassins side is fast-paced ballsy garage rock, like a less goofy Brutal Knights. Normally I find this kind of stuff cheesy, but the Assassins pull it off so well it rises above the mediocre examples of the genre. "I Want My Money" is the standout track. - Mark Black - The Coast

THis seven-inch recalls what vintage Dictators and Lime Spiders brought to the party. Further proof that Maritimers are the new kings of rock. 7 (JC) - Monteal Mirror

Looking like something out of The Last Pogo in 1978, these East Coast garage-punks waste no time. Pounding-out jolts of guitar-thrashing energy that swaggers through The Stooges, The Ramones and Teenage Head. Fearlessly parading onstage, Myles Deck brought-out the take-no-prisoners style of Iggy and Henry Rollins. Sweat-drenched, wildly energetic, the manifesto continues to endure: punk it up...tear it down. - Lonely Vagabond

Myles Deck and the Fuzz

POLICE COPS

(From Here to There Records)

Detroit may be becoming an industrial wasteland, but it's an inspirational gold mine for Halifax's Myles Deck and the Fuzz, whose brawny sounds taps into the strut and snarl of Motor City acts from the Stooges to the White Stripes.

Produced by Joel Plaskett, this three-song single shows a band that knows how to take a song and shake it until its pockets are empty. Lound and tight, but with enough space for the bass, these guys rock without any pretention.

Look for Myles Deck and the Fuzz at Gus' Pub with Maritime Meltdown, Tongan Death Grip, Slave Class and Talk Sick. - The Chronicle Herald