The Beat Surrender

God, kill the Rolling Stones. Some bands are just better off never existing, not because of their own musical output but rather for the countless acts they’ve “inspired� to create inferior facsimiles thereof. The Stones catalogue (which runs the gamut from amazing to apathetic) has been responsible for such bands as The Black Crowes, Beautiful Creatures and Buckcherry (Though singer Josh Todd was channeling Steven Tyler, a devout Jagger follower. Another degree of separation.) If you can name twice as many bad groups than good groups that are directly influenced by any one act, their rock and roll hall fame membership should be revoked. No exceptions.

Louis XIV feature former members of San Diego also-rans Convoy. Successfully generating their own buzz in the States as well as the UK (who love it when Americans emulate them), they signed to Atlantic. The Best Little Secrets Are Kept, their debut album, finds them sticking closely to the formula they used on their e.p., Illegal Tender, that is to say, cribbing generously from the Rolling Stones songbook.

Musically, they do some interesting things. Early Stones albums where nothing more than Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry songs with distortion and a kick drum. The inclusion of strings, harmonica, and female backing vocals at specific points in songs does well to mix things up. There is also a fair share of T-Rex (another band that spawned more trite than terrific) throughout the proceedings, notably “A letter to Dominique.� The production is tight, crafting sharp guitars with an ominous bass tone and the in vogue “are those real drums?� sound (see also; The Strokes, The Hives).

Louis XIV’s worst element is singer Jason Hill, though they are confident that he is their best asset. Resembling a young Ozzy Osbourne with too much eyeliner, he makes no apologies for his vocal theft, singing “I might swipe your identity� on the modestly titled “Louis XIV.� In this case, he summons the spirits of Tommy Bolan, Bon Scott, and the aforementioned Mick Jagger, who has been dead for years.

The lyrics cover such wide ranging topics as; sleeping with groupies (“Finding Out True Love is Blind�), sleeping with teachers (“Hey Teacher�), and sleeping with inexperienced women (“Paper Doll“) because those subjects haven’t been sung about enough.

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