On the day I heard worldwideriot perform “Freedom”, I felt 18 again, except without the misery. Not a feeling to be dismissed or forgotten. Next came “Kicking The Can” and “Traveler’s Song”. By then it was clear; the joy must be shared. Kerry fired up the Lilypad Recordification Module, and we bade Sean Blythe and Eric Enger come over.

Kerry had been recording a band named Hollus whose bass player, Sean, had a side project with his friend, Eric. The twosome had been posting songs to their MySpace page under the name of worldwideriot, a name plucked from the teeming pages of Sean’s notebook. These madcap gems were recorded directly to the condenser mic of their laptop, under their kitchen table at 3 AM, while the rest of the household went about their business.

The first songs we heard, “Green Lighter” and “Freedom”, were exhilarating, with just the right amount of out there-ness. As we heard more - oh, delight and incredulity! - our thoughts turned to their sleep-deprived neighbors on Milwaukee Avenue. Chicago. Did they hear what we heard? Garage genius.

Their music is informed by an intelligence that is self-aware rather than self-conscious, The Monkees without the slapstick. Let us take the melodious and rocking heft of The Guess Who, 13th Floor Elevators and The Flamin' Groovies. Wrap them in a feather boa, add a Huck Finn hat, push them down a long flight of bouncy rubber stairs past The Ramones and tell them to stand up when they see cornfields and nuclear stacks. For then, they will be in Morris, Illinois, in the year 2008. Their hometown. Eric (Iggysaurus Rex) is local, Sean (neat freak), out of Texas. One sings and so does the other. Reckless, moody, delirious, charming, both blessed with keen sensibilities and rock’n’roll grace.

The sessions you hear on this debut  E.P. took place late June to Late October 2007, and were recorded to tape for that Aulde Thyme analog sensation. That’s real hiss you hear, the ‘Riot live in the red zone. Their pacing was perfect, the tape flew off the reel just as “Cigarette Song” ended and the results were edited and mixed in Protools.

The band’s timeless garage sound instantly connects with multiple generations. The spontaneity of their recordings is infectious, always an exquisitely chosen, swaggering drum part or a vocal refrain that’s just the right side of wrong. But there is more. Rising mightily from the depths, a musicality and knowingness that give the listener pause. There are enough talented 21 year olds go around in rock and roll, but they don’t always have this heart and spirit.

There are a few key components for a truly glorious American band: a divine male falsetto, a singing drummer, the locomotion of MC5 and the style of Roger Miller. An imagination unbound and the willingness to follow it. We are very proud to bring you all that and more: the first seven from worldwideriot, a very special case.

-Cath Carroll