Universal Malcontents

After recording eight albums of period-correct psychedelic guitar pop, you have to give Matthew Smith and company some allowance to deviate from the formula. Outrageous Cherry's ninth full-length is still deeply rooted in the band's extensive knowledge of the bygone sounds, tones, and style of the mid- to late '60s. The jangly chimes of the second song, “Anymore,” draw equal inspiration from folk-rockers The Byrds and The Mamas & the Papas. But the opening “I Recognized Her” kicks the time machine up a decade for some stompy, riff-rocking, hip-shaking glitter rock that has more in common with Electric Warrior–era T. Rex. “It's Not Rock N' Roll (And I Don't Like It)” continues with the '70s feel, right down to the boogie-woogie piano parts and Smith singing more like Lawrence Hayward’s post-Felt project, Denim. The piano simmers down in “Horizon,” a mature and rootsy ballad that'd feel right at home alongside “Winter” on The Rolling Stones’ 1973 album Goats Head Soup, save for Smith's over-reverberated vocals, which still sound steeped in '60s garage rock production. “Memory” returns the band to its freakbeat leanings.