The Total Rejection- The Time Traveller’s 3rd Will and Testament (4.5 out of 5)
Full disclosure, here at Rock is the New Roll we are huge fans of Austin Powers era Mojo-Garage Rock in the Little Steven Underground Garage mold. And, the latest record from The Total Rejection checks off all of the paisley boxes in fine fashion. From the 13th Floor Elevators inspired romp “Fly (Lost in Time/Party Nine)”, a song that Syd Barrett himself might dismiss as too drug-addled, to the Small Faces hipster glory of “Next Time I See You Around” there is a passion of purpose on display with every turn of a tune.
As the song cycle continues, you seem to be going down a worm-hole of back to the future grooviness spanning somewhere from the mid-sixties all the way to around 1973 before you spin around and go back down the rabbit hole of wonderment to discover the mojo dance party of “Tracy Said” along with the organ-drenched Paul Revere and the Raiders vibing “Next Time I See You Around.”
And then, 15 songs in, just like that, the closer, “Distress Signals From A Planet On The Edge of Despair” takes you to Red Sector A with a wild Space-Mojo jam that wraps it all up with a cosmic bow and sends you back to a reality that will leave you thinking, what has just happened?