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MP3 Frustrating Sound | download the press kit
Radio Moscow's album peaked at #76 on CMJ
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Radio Moscow signing records at the Alive headquarters


Radio Moscow played some live sessions down in Chicago about a month ago for HeaYa and now they are online, available for download : Hearya sessions

Parker Grigg'â hands are like meat-hooks and they swallow the neck of the guitar. His hands move effortlessly, driving a heavy blues sound that seems odd for someone so young (he's 23 I think). As the session continued, Radio Moscow were firing on all cylinders and we just soaked it in. At one point, after kicking out "Whatever Happened", Parker asked if he could try out some new material. Shirk's response? "You can play all day for all I care."

Parker is the centerpiece of the band, but by no means is Radio Moscow a one man act. Shirk compared them to Jimi Hendrix & The Experience. Now before anybody freaks out, we are not comparing Parker Griggs to Jimi Hendrix, but the overall approach is fairly similar. Todd and Zach do a phenomenal job laying down the rhythm and then get out of the way, letting Parker do his thing. And his thing is nothing short of amazing.

Parker Griggs is one of the best young guitarists out there today, if not the best. He's a prodigy. As he matures and his songwriting chops get refined, there is no limit on what he and his band can do in the future. Next time they are in your town, go see them. - HearYa.com
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Crustier than a bad case of psoriasis and greaser than a chicken fried steak, the Ames, Iowa threesome Radio Moscow put the power back in power trio. They ride a wave of wah wah guitar infused, dirty-ass psych-powered blues rock in which one can smell the aroma of Old Granddad's and non filtered cigarette smoke. Radio Moscow is caked with an aura of rustic roadhouse grime and reverb that delivers a swirling cacophony of an induced kaleidoscopic mirage. - Modern Fix
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This is blues rock as it was meant to be played, not as it was watered down by the hairspray-conscious acts of the 80s. The production, courtesy of the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, is deliberately raw and the album has a decidedly live energy. However, unlike a lot of lo-fi recordings, this one is masterfully done. - Bob Lange/Rock and roll and meandering nonsense
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Guitarist/vocalist Parker Griggs is the oldest member of the band, and he is 23. You would definitely have been able to guess they were young by seeing them (Griggs, bassist Zach Anderson, and drummer Paul Marrone), but you never would have by hearing them. Guys barely old enough to drink don't even know who Cream and Blue Cheer are, right, let alone how to play like them. - Illinois Entertainer
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Awesome record-fun and slutty and cool, I'm in favor of it all the way. - Matt Cibula / Pop Matters
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Be it in the extended solos, inventive basslines or mellow yet soulful vocal, this stuff doesn't so much imitate the Brit power trio but recall it with its own updated spin. Make mine psych blues with a wah wah twist-Bluesheads will lap it up. Guitar psych fans too. - I-94 Bar
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Wah wah pedal Hendrix guitars greet you upon the needle drop. Radio Moscow is a throwback of retro garage blues fury. You gotta love wailing guitar solos too, or forget it. Most of RM's music is 60s freakout jams. Whether it's more on the noodlier Cream side of things or the caveman stomp of The Sonics, Radio Moscow plays a blistering update on classic acid 60s guitar rock. "Timebomb" has all the above, and slows things down to a blues guitar half-time that Robbie Krieger would dig. And when Parker Griggs (who plays all instruments but bass) starts cranking it out, he's a guitar wizard. It's a very authentic sound, nothing gives it away that Radio Moscow are from 2007 not 1967. - Culture Bunker
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Radio Moscow is the best kind of time machine. With a driving bass line and a wicked guitar lick, these Iowa boys take you back to a time when rock music was defined not by complication or pretension, but by talent and daring. These boys don't ape Jimmy Hendrix; rather, they learn from his example and push the limits of blues rock like there's no tomorrow (...) All that is to say, Radio Moscow are the baddest motherfuckers making rock and roll in Iowa. Maybe even the whole of the Iowa tri-state area. Maybe even the country. Hell, they're the rockingest band in the world. Or at least that's how they make you feel. And that's what legends are made of. I predict great things for Radio Moscow. They may be out of time, but they're doing their best to make us all remember real rock and roll. - Headexploder
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I'd hesitate to call Radio Moscow a group, as it appears to be the work of one Parker Griggs, who performs everything but bass and slide guitar on the album (those parts were handled by Luke McDuff and The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, respectively). The 21-year old has a keen grasp on what makes a rock song classic, as the ten tracks on Radio Moscow's debut glide effortlessly through the late '60's/early '70's era of psychedelic blues. For fans of that style, Radio Moscow offers a feast worthy of gorging. "Frustrating Sound" slinks by with a boozy confidence, the instrumental "Like Skillet" is the bastard child of Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac and the Allman Brothers, and "Fuse" whomps like Blue Cheer's life depends on it. And that's just a sampling of the goodness within. Like Parchman Farm and Orange Sunshine, Radio Moscow doesn't really fit in a modern context. The band exists out of time. And like those two bands, Radio Moscow also manages to take a well worn style and make it its own. An astonishingly good debut. Recommended. - StonerRock.com
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It's easy to draw the Black Keys comparisons, or as others have done, trace their lineage to Cream, or the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but the way Griggs handles that guitar transcends those comparisons. He's not confined to the blues, but rather, uses it is a launching pad for all sorts or sonic explorations. Do yourself a favor. Put down that video game controller, and instead of pretending to play Sabbath and Deep Purple, turn up your stereo and bask in the power of mighty guitar work Griggs supplies on these tunes. - Contra Costa Times
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The interplay between Griggs and his new drummer from Missouri, Paul Marrone, was brilliant. Bassist Zach Anderson appeared to be the typical Bill Wyman/John Entwistle bassist: subdued physically, but kicking your ass with every move of his fingers. The three of them seem to be playing on instruments from the early 70s; perhaps blessed by the likes of Freddie King, Ginger Baker and Noel Redding; then wrapped up and placed in a steel vault, not to be opened until 2007. The licks that Griggs were playing came from somewhere else. I spoke to him after the show, not a good place for an interview, and I really desire to understand where his talent comes from. He's either a natural, or he's someone who enjoys sitting in his room eight hours a day and flying through scales after scales until they're second nature. Either way let's thank the guitar gods for the likes of Parker Griggs. - Review of the San Francisco show from Free Radio SF
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There's another story to Radio Moscow, and that's the emergence of a new guitar hero -- Parker Griggs. Man, if that riff rifling six-string could talk, it would surely say, "Look out rockers, there's a new sheriff in town." Just consider the four minute guitar odyssey of "Frustrating Sound." McDuff supplies the low rumbling bass line, and Griggs supplies a hefty dose of the blues. Then, just as you have him pegged as a Black Keys prodigy, the dude absolutely goes off into rockabilly, punk, and thrash in one solo. Therein lies the power of Radio Moscow's debut. It's easy to draw the Black Keys comparisons, or as others have done, trace their lineage to Cream, or the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but the way Griggs handles that guitar transcends those comparisons. He's not confined to the blues, but rather, uses it is a launching pad for all sorts or sonic explorations. Do yourself a favor. Put down that video game controller, and instead of pretending to play Sabbath and Deep Purple, turn up your stereo and bask in the power of mighty guitar work Griggs supplies on these tunes: "Lucky Dutch," "Mistreating Queen," "Whatever Happened," and "Fuse." - I Rock Cleveland
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Masterminded by 22-year old multi-talent Parker Griggs, it's surprising that this record is a product of someone born in an era of neon bracelets and Duran Duran; instead, Griggs summons up the soul of Hendrix and licks of Cream-era Clapton. From the swagger of "Luckydutch," followed by the backwater blues of "Lickskillet," to the psychedelic haze of "Ordovician Fauna," the kid can't be accused of not doing his homework. And while the precocious wunderkind can often leave the authenticity police in a flutter, Griggs successfully pulls it off ­ leaving no doubt that this prodigy is playing for real. - Adam Simpkins / The Nerve
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SPIN Artist of the Day on Spin.com : marrying the bluesy psychedelic fervor of Cream with the big, precise fretwork of Jimi Hendrix, Radio Moscow relish in distortion and grittiness. Prevalent are themes of heartache, heartbreak, and drug intake, sometimes accompanied by instrumental forays into tumbleweeding country ("Lickskillet") and East Indian-influenced soundscapes ("Ordovician Fauna").
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 You'll be doing yourself a world of good by picking this record up. If you don't believe me, or you're just too hip to listen to something that isn't yawn inspiring or about bugs, be my guest and sample a few sparkling-acid-blues-covered tracks. & Who said rock n' roll was dead? - Coffee and Cassettes
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Hendrix's body may be rotting six feet under, but his soul lives on through Radio Moscow front man and multi instrumentalist Parker Griggs. - By-Tor & The Snow Dog
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On their self-titled debut, Radio Moscow infused trippy rock with heartfelt blues and created a sound of unadulterated instrumental taunts. Although their music has structure, it seems so impulsive and that's the beauty of Radio Moscow. It doesn't really matter if there is a paved path because their destination can be reached without a map. - Music Snitch
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Ames, Iowa based Radio Moscow has allowed me to rediscover the guilty pleasure that is blues-rock. (...) Whether chugging along with something like "Frustrating Sound" or wailing away on the Stevie-Ray-esque instrumental "Lickskillet" or the very Hendrix-like "Whatever Happened", this debut by Radio Moscow reminds you of why you enjoyed this type of music in the first place. If you ever wanted to discover or re-discover some great, swampy blues-rock and roll from a band that aren't receiving social security you might just want to check out Radio Moscow. A nice blast from the past played today. Cool stuff. The Rock'n'roll Report
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 A fine piece of retro rock that will warm the hearts of all stoned music freaks who think that lava lamps and blacklight posters is the coolest stuff ever invented. - Lowcut
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With a nod to previous purveyors of garage blues, Radio Moscow has elements of MC5, Blue Cheer and Cream in their songs. At the ripe age of 22, Griggs rips solos like there's no tomorrow and some tunes even feature multiple solo work. The band is a trio but their sound is full and loud, not unlike another trio, the Jimi Hendrix Experience. - The Area Scene
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Mod as mod can be, and psychedelic too. Radio Moscow has the swing, man, they got the mojo. - Muzic
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Parker Griggs is the driving force in the band. On their debut he handles the songwriting/vocals/drummer and most importantly the guitar. In a time where a current guitarist can't make a top 100 guitar solos of all time list, Griggs couldn't have come along at a better time. His ability is unquestioned. He has a distinct sound. Alive describe it as "fuzzed out psychedelic guitar." I describe him as phenomenal. His playing is far from linear as there are constant tempo changes and experimentation that give his playing a sense of impulsiveness that keeps you wanting more. - HearYa
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Radio Moscow on Fuel TV
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The Black Keys love their '70s classic rock, and they know what it smells like. Member Dan Auerbach helps Ames, Iowa, psychedelic blues-rockers Radio Moscow tap into their love of Jimi Hendrix and the Allman Brothers on this debut effort, which also delves into country and East Indian sounds. Songs include: "Lickskillet," "Ordovician Fauna" and "Luckydutch." - MTV news
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Review of the album art on the East Bay Express blog | Parker's interview for Tinnitus (Germany)
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 They start off by introducing themselves with a rock 'n roll Hendrix-esque vibe. It's fun and such, but I don't think you'll play this particular song quite often. Frustrating sound, their second track on the album, opens with a bass as fat 'n greasy as a mexican cab-driver. They are known to surprise us with a sudden change of pace now and then and this one is probably their signature song, when it comes to changing the tempo. The following song tries to bring back the spirit of Jimi Hendrix and eerie enough, I think they actually succeeded. Luckydutch shreds all boundaries between blues and rock to pieces. Lickslit, another instrumental, is bayou meets pshycadelic rock, a mixture that seems to work really well. Mistreating Queen and Whatever happened are much alike, same pounding drum beat and shrieking guitar violence. Next in line is Timebomb, a darker sound, here he reminds me a bit of Wolfmother, the guitar almost sings along to the song. Deep blue see is a BB King anthem of some sort, with a classical sticky blues rhythem. The next oriental excerpt is called Ordovician Fauna, a mentally disturbing vibe rings through your head after listening to this reminding you to not do drugs, or is it the other way around? Fuse, again another instrumental powerhouse, concludes this psychadelic journey, suddenly giving me meaning to the statement "Blues Explosion". - Hotel 84
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 Parker Griggs is the powerhouse of Radio Moscow. You really have to see him play to appreciate how good he is. His style of psychedelic blues is reminiscent of Jimmy Hendrix. video here
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The "Introduction" simply gets the job in motion, wetting the lips for the white boy slink and shuffle of "Frustrating Sound." It's low key but sinewy, driven and laid back simultaneously, smoke-filled and mushroom stomping, especially when the jazzy parts get unmuzzled. This is fairly "classic" or "trad" to the extreme, with little or no ironic overdubs or self-consciousness. The Hendrix persona sneaks out, a little bleached and Anglo, on "Luckydutch," when the boys try and wax and worm their way through basic psyche blues territory, and the lyrical dictum "baby I wish I could forget you" does seem a bit hammy, but at least its universal too. The acoustic-fed "Lickskillet," replete with a homegrown ratty front porch atmosphere, segues into a rock-up nugget that tastes like bourbon and chicken wings. Disappearing girls show back up on "Whatever Happened," and again, they don't seem to treat the boys right or keep them tight. "Tomebomb" ticks off the problems with relationships as the drums and guitars skirt each other before falling into a smackdown chorus. The woman may evil, but then again, she got that magnetism that won't let any mortal man be. The incense and sitar East Indian vibe of "Ordovician Fauna" completes the cycle of classic rock tropes, though in lo-fi form, like a cassette interlude during an off-the-cuff moment. Not to worry, the Sabbath soundscape adventures forth on "Fuse" in telepathic waves care of Birmingham, England, where the factories ate two bits of Tommy Iommi's fingers, but this actually comes from corn-fed pancake land Iowa. Go figure. Grow your hair out, man. - Left Of The Dial
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Psychedelic Blues is probably up there with up with prog rock in terms of genres people are embarrassed to admit they listen to. Neither are particularly hip and new records are hard to come by in both categories. The prospect of Cream's recent reunion would have excited many, even though the end results were a little disappointing. Anyone wanting a good fix of psychedelic rock should console themselves with this debut by Iowa-based Radio Moscow. Crank up 'Luckydutch' or 'Timebomb' and transport yourself back to a time when Messrs Clapton, Baker and Bruce were the three most important musicians on the planet. The dynamic duo of Parker Griggs and Luke McDuff have come up with a CD which takes the best of Cream, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin and repackages them for a 21st century audience. Most of the tunes on this CD are of the cranked up to 11 variety. 'Lickskillet' has a lovely, soft Blues respite at the start before the thunderous rock kicks in. 'Whatever Happened' could easily have been a Led Zep B-side with Parker Griggs giving a scorching performance on the guitar and vocals. 'Deep Blue Sea' is more straight Blues, with funky back porch drums and acoustic slide guitar. Producer Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) has given the CD a raw, greasy feel and he avoids the pitfalls of this genre by keeping each track to around four and a half minutes long. Anyone hoping for a two hour drum solo will be disappointed. The rest of us will probably breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the music instead. - Jamie Hailstone / Blues Matters (UK)
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HearYa's answer to Pitchfork's review of Radio Moscow
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Tampa show review on Ninebullets.net
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The Fake : review of Radio Moscow (Switzerland) | German review - the Ox | Gonzai review (France)
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The Midwest has birthed any number of blues rock outfits, most recently, the psychedelic-minded Radio Moscow, which takes its cue from the heavy power trios of the late 1960s with giant riffs, fuzzy bass and robust, stomping tempos (...) the album is a heady mix of powerhouse instrumentals, rootsy acoustic blues numbers and lo-fi garage romps, sometimes marked by wah-wah or slide guitar or even sitar. - Kinda Blues
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Radio Moscow's debut cd is electric guitar fueled blues rock that can find a groove and ride it so hard it'll scar your speakers. Think Wolfmother meets The Black Keys, and you'll probably have the worst analogy in the history of music reviews, but I'm gonna use the fucker. For real though, this is a cd that forces you to stomp your feet and play air guitar from the second the opening bass solo of "Frustrating Sound" starts. - Nine Bullets
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They are a huge, loud guitar orgy just waiting for you to give them an ear. And Tampa did. In all the shows I've seen at New World I have never seen a band play an encore and Radio Moscow was not planning on playing one either but the crowd demanded it. I ain't exaggerating either. - Sticks of Fire live review
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Ames, Iowa isn't exactly known as a hotbed of psychedelic blues. And yet, from that very burg comes Radio Moscow, a trio who are quite deftly carrying the torch left by the likes of Cream, Jimi Hendrix and everybody in the late '60s who viewed wah-wahs, fuzz boxes and crazily overdriven tube amps as essential components of rock guitar. To be sure, that area has been well mined over the past four decades, and more often than not, it sounds tired and played out. Not so with Radio Moscow. - Douglas Jordan / StAugustine.com
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Scorching guitars straight out of Hendrix's grab bag produced by the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, this is a must for fans of gnarly guitar shredding rooted in the blues. - Paul Saitowitz / PE Com
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Basically what this band sounds like to me is Black Keys style riffs and singing, Comets on Fire psych freakouts, and then plenty of homage to the old psych-blues bands of yesteryear: Cream, Hendrix, Yardbirds, etc. It's an amazing record and is guaranteed to make you rock out. - A Tune A Day
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Radio Moscow are Parker Griggs (guitar, drums, vocals, percussion), Luke McDuff (bass), Zach Anderson (bass) - creating a concoction of psychedelic garage rock with complicated melodic, spinning riffs to please even the most dedicated rock 'n roll maestro's! - Velvet Grooves
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Radio Moscow is a syncretic concoction of Blue Cheer, Hendrix, Sabbath, Cream, and The Edgar Brougton Band but at the Kremlin core of the Russian Nesting Doll is a neoteric aberration that patiently waits to jugulate. Look onward to the past and summon up the memories of the future. Radio Moscow lay beneath the mushroom cloud blowing smoke rings of Psychedelic abundance. - Sugarbuzzmagazine
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Greek review on Rocking | French review on Blakswan | Hard Rock Cafe (Spanish) | Review on a Dutch site
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These blues-rock revisionists, hailing from Ames, Iowa got The Black Keys' guitarist Dan Auerbach in to produce this monstrously good album, which takes its cues from the freeform instrumental workouts of Cream and Jimi Hendrix and the powerhouse riffage of Black Sabbath. Guitarist and vocalist Parker Griggs is at the centre of all the action here, with some incendiary wah-wah guitar solos the like of which you just don't get to hear nowadays, flipping between straightforward pentatonic and blues scales to more adventurous modal phrases without relying too heavily on effects to bolster his skills. It's not all full steam ahead though, tracks like 'Lickskillet' and 'Deep Blue Sea' feature rootsy acoustic blues playing with some beautifully crisp slide guitar and the echo chamber psych of 'Ordovician Fauna' suggests a developing experimental element to the band's already formidable sound. - Boomkat (UK)
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Guitarist/drummer (a hybrid you don't see every day!) Parker Griggs knows his way around the strings and isn't shy about taking a solo or two, and together with bassist Luke McDuff he lays down a solid, pounding beat. These aren't the exploratory workouts of Phish or Dave Matthews -- they're lightshow illuminated Fillmore-style jams that shred like The Who live at Leeds. The band's blues is spiced with '60s garage (like something you might have heard from the Shadows of Knight if they'd recorded something longer than 3 minutes), and the Eastern-tinged "Ordovician Fauna" sounds like something the Electric Prunes might have turned out. There's enough tempo and textural variety (including downbeat instrumental experiments and steel-string acoustic guitars mixed against howling electric slide) to keep things moving, but it's the insistent rhythms and Griggs' meaty, high-flying guitar solos that provide the transportation. - Eli Messinger / Amazon.com
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How often does one get to review a psychedelic blues rock band from Iowa? Not very damn often but this trio sure did everything in their power to make this one count. There,s plenty of fuzzed out garage and blues guitar workouts to keep you busy for hours just closing your eyes and nodding your head like you're in some kind of hypnotic trance. Think of an album that's one half Allman Brothers and one half Amboy Dukes and you might be in the ballpark. - Richard Oliver / Ear Candy
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A simmering mojo mixture of magic mushrooms, the soul of Jimi Hendrix, and hallucinatory daisy-chain vibrations filtered through a crawfish net full of bayou muck, alligator claws, and buzzing dragonfly wings. The jams be kickin' like a motherfucker on this disc, so soak it up, brothers and sisters, with a tab of microdot and a hookah full of primo weed. Ah, what a scintillating trip! - Moser / Under The Volcano
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Radio Moscow's self-titled album is a rocker's dream album intermixed with some rarities that one wouldn't generally find on a predominately rock album. - Celebrity Cafe
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Highlights include "Lucky Dutch," which contains a beefy riff that's reminiscent of Ram Jam's "Black Betty," "Lickskillet" begins as an acoustic blues ditty, before transforming into an Allman Brothers-esque dual guitar fest (complete with slide guitar), while both "Mistreating Queen" and "Whatever Happened" are muscular riff rock a la the Jeff Beck Group. - Greg Prato / All Music Guide
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