Nervous Exits
Get Out (Super Secret)
The world needs more of John Yaklin. He’s smooth, snarky, and tells it like it is. His shoes move like they’re skating on sludge, and he yelps with the angst of a drunken sailor. In short, he rules. The Nervous Exits’ debut full-length has been a tease until now, but with the nine ass-shaking garage rock hits on Get Out, it’s been worth the wait. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill ATX garage rock either. Punk collides with classic rock, spurring on a thrash-down of broken beats and dishes. The static-y structure of opening jam “It’s a Flash” stacks bass and drums atop a grueling riff, resulting in a heavy, sweaty sing-along. “Annabel” romps like the devil’s plaything, while “Sidewalk Blues” burns MC5. Despite the silliness of “Two Headed Monster,” or perhaps because of it, it’s proof of the Exits’ Southern roots. It all comes down to closer “Long Road Home,” a longtime live favorite and the image of rock & roll debauchery. “Don’t cry for me, my mother,” pleads Yaklin, the epitome of Red River: classic, determined, rockin’.
This article appears in April 7 • 2006.