the LOO

If you call yourself ‘the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band of Rotterdam’, you certainly raise some expectations. Are guitarist/singer Robbie The LOO, bassist Junior The LOO, guitarist Johnny G. Smith and drummer Bartt Stixx able to live up to those expectations? Right from ‘Clean Again?’ they’re rockin’ and rollin’ like no other. The guitar is right upfront in the mix and the vocals are definitely right for this kind of music. The LOO makes unadulterated rock ‘n’ roll like AC/DC, The Cult and Guns ‘n Roses and they generally don’t hold back. The umpteenth cover version of ‘Another Brick In The Wall’ (Pink Floyd) is good, especially the use of the organ is surprising. The song ‘24/7’, likely based on GN’R’s ‘Paradise City’ (same texture), will be an absolute live favourite, although I didn’t like the screaming keyboard solo that much. The final song ‘Sweet Tangerine’ is a nice ballad. According to the singer it’s (again) based on a GN’R song (Estranged). So all in all it’s not that original, but that really won’t spoil the fun during the live shows. Great album.

[Original Dutch version @ www.theloo.nl] - by Ron Willemsen

Now, after their previous ep ‘Rattlesnake Supercharger’ was well received and they played throughout the Dutch club scene Robbie The LOO (vocals, guitar), Junior The LOO (bass), Johnny G. Smith (guitar) en Bartt Stixx (drums) presents their debut album ‘Clean Again’.

On the cd you’ll find nine loud and unadulterated rock ‘n’ roll tracks that stylistically fit well with bands like The Answer, Wolfmother and AC/DC. Long hair, black shirts, shades, leather jackets, sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll… all the ingredients are there. The sound these gentlemen produce you can call loud and tight. The songs are well arranged and the much needed dynamics are definitely there. On the contrary, the proverbial sparks jump at you right away with ‘Clean Again?’ that has a pure rock intro and the playful yet rough voice of Robbie.

‘She’ begins with the same stylistic features we find in the music of example Peter Pan Speedrock. Heavy up tempo guitars, although The LOO still has its own style. We also find a nice cover version of Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick In The Wall’. Although the real question is why?

The band writes its own excellent material. Of their previous ep, ‘Rattlesnake Supercharger’ found its way back to this album, rock ‘n’ roll at its best. The overall sound of the mix is excellent and gives a good impression of what we can expect live. The final track of the album is called ‘Sweet Tangerine’ which at first sounds different from the other tracks. A quiet song that starts with piano and guitar but slowly transforms into a slow rock song. Here Robbie really can extract his vocal abilities. The quality is definitely there, that’s for sure.

‘Clean Again’ is a beautiful debut album, an introduction of great proportions. The music is pure; the songs are well arranged and also sound wise it’s a beauty. As a plus you can find all the lyrics in the booklet. A real recommendation.

[Original Dutch version @ www.theloo.nl] - by René van Hoesel

The LOO, an unadulterated Rock And Roll band from Rotterdam (The Netherlands) delivers with ‘Clean Again’ their first full length album. A few years ago glamrock and stadium rockbands like Velvet Revolver, Brides of Destruction and even our old school heroes from Motley Crue stood up from their graves and gave their Sex, Drugs & Rock N Roll to a new generation. In the wake of this tendency The LOO operated. Driven by their EP “Rattlesnake Supercharger” they infected the Dutch club scene with their steaming rock. Early 2008 they packed up their gear and started the recording of ‘Clean Again’ in the famous Excess Studios (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) to put nine potential MTV hitsongs on tape! Back than The LOO still operated as a quintet, including a keyboard player who you still can hear on the album, mainly on the Pink Floyd cover ‘Another Brick In The Wall’. Nowadays The LOO is a quartet and have to do without the electronic wizardry. But no worries, all the basic ingredients for a real kickass rockband are there : perfectly arranged guitar riffs, dragging though catchy vocals and grooving bass and drums. The traditional ballad is mandatory, where even the title ‘Sweet Tangerine’ sounds nostalgic (Though with a very different taste than the one from The Hush Sound). Clean Again, might be the stepping stone to Guitar Hero 5…

[Original Dutch version @ www.theloo.nl] - by Ronald Coelers