Album Review

The Mighty Roars – Elvis Lives (and he drinks sake)

• 1st Jun 2009

Everyone likes a good conspiracy theory – fortunately, the tiny percentage of the population who actually believe them are being kept a safe distance from us in trailers in the American Mid West. Those UFOs they’ve been seeing? Frisbees. Duh.

Today’s Conspiracy Theory Of The Month Award (a Lego model of Marilyn Monroe and Bin Laden picnicking outside Area 51) goes to the Mighty Roars, who would like us to believe that The King is still alive *gasp* and newly converted to Japanese liquor.

Upcoming single Elvis Lives (And He Drinks Sake) from the female-fronted three-piece comes across like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with a pop-punk rocket under their patooties and boasts the kind of horn section Mark Ronson would give his über-hip left ear for.

Signed to indier-than-thou label One Little Indian (no pun intended), this first single from second album Zip is a breathless three-minute burst of guitar rock ‘n’ roll that’s young, dumb and fun enough for us to ignore some seriously stoopid lyrics. Hmm. Perhaps the real conspiracy going on here is just how many dodgy rhymes the Mighty Roars can cram into Elvis Lives without us noticing. Singer and Joan Jett sound-a-like Lara Granqvist manages to link sake with ticky tacky, Mickey Macky and a Big Mac in the space of fifteen seconds, which may well qualify her for some kind of trophy.

The Might Roars love Japan. They really, really love Japan – in fact, they love Japan so much that the Japanese Tourist Board might be wise to give Elvis Lives (And He Drinks Sake) a listen. And while we’re not sure Elvis loves the Far East quite as much as the Mighty Roars do, any song which namechecks Fu Manchu (repeatedly) over a trumpet has got to be worth a listen.