Album Details

• Artist: Anton Mink
• Album: Anton Mink
• Label: RIR
• Year of Release: 2007
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: solitaryman on 2008-04-23

Straight out of Ali's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, Anton Mink are a relatively young outfit but the individual members have plenty of experience. Founding member and bassist Anton Z. began forming the band in that classic way; an advert in a local music publication. In 2004, vocalist and bombshell Chloa Mardis responded and the nucleus of Anton Mink began. After adding a guitarist and drummer, the band began playing locally and, in '06, managed to get this their debut album recorded. A typical road for most bands, to be certain. But this is far from typical music.

Anton are stuck in the past and not stuck in the past. Their tone screams classic rock; from the fuzzy riffs and funky basslines to Chloa's Joplinesque vocals, there's a feel of psychadelic jamband all over these songs. Ample amounts of funk, groove and rhythmatic soul drown these down-homers with the spirit of a possibly better time for rock and roll. There is also an underlying punk influence; it can be heard in their more agressive tracks, numbers like "Unhappy" and opener "Everything". Best songs are the endlessly catchy and moody "Daddy Long Legs" and the redneck anthem "Truck Stop". 

A band with many accomplishments, at this young age, has a future brighter than many others. They've been all over college and local radio, and this s/t album was voted one of the best of 2007 by UC Berkley KALX and the Undiscovered Radio Network. I can attest to the quality of Anton Mink's music; groove-heavy jam-oriented rock, with a considerable amount of smokey back-room sleaze and the nostalgic feel of a garage band brought back from about '67. When you think of all the bands out there attempting to recapture the sounds of yesterday while keeping it modern and relevant, you're not likely to find many who are better at it than Anton Mink. Check 'em out.

User Reviews and Comments

on 2008-05-22 ElleRiot Said:

Dude are you talking about MINK or ANTON MINK? Because this album defnitely wouldn't sound like The Stooges because it isn't even guitar driven rock.
Not Rated

on 2008-05-16 Macavennie Said:

Well be sure to tell em i said hi! lol

They came across as a band that "wannabe" rather than authentic. very contrived. i know not every band like this can be a stooges but equally many bands in this genre deliver more swagger and in-your-face than this lot.

i listen to all sorts of music. the only thing i ask of a band of ANY genre is to be real. Mink are plastic bland wannabe's and fall way short of being listenable imo
Rating: 4/10

on 2008-05-12 SolitaryMan Said:

No need to apologize, man. No way to please everyone. I'm sure some folks will appreciate the feedback, I certainly can see where one wouldn't like what they're doing. But you know, when a sound hits you, it just hits you; you try to explain it in a way that you feel most will relate. A 100% average of review-to-user relation is impossible; your comment is further proof. Feel free to explain why those bands warrant more attention, I'm listening. I almost wish you would have gotten this comment in earler; I just finished interviewing half the band. I'm sure you'll be looking forward to THAT, haha.
Not Rated

on 2008-05-11 Macavennie Said:

weak, contrived, bland
one of the poorest albums i got this year

as a massive fan of both garage rock AND punk i disagree with the above review wholeheartedly

this is to garage and punk what n'sync is to soul. ie shit

if you want something which actually resembles what the reviewer talks of then try Thee Headcoats, The Flaming Sideburns, The Mooney Suzuki, Billy Childish, The Revelators, The Gories or a whole host of others that actually DO recapture yesterday.

crap album, crap review, sorry!
Rating: 4/10