detroit7 made quite a splash with their American debut release and subsequent tours across America and Europe. There’s been plenty of buzz about the garage rock trio and with a Japanese release just around the corner, we finally put their US debut through the scrutinous gears of the SparkPlugged Review-o-matic (aka Shay).

detroit7’s self-titled debut on Daruma Label is blues-tinged, garage-rock gold. Tarnished by befitting blurs of a fuzzy guitar, a trembling bass, and blustery percussion, the overall beauty of detroit7’s music may be subjective, but some moments of lustrous brilliance are nearly universal. While the trio ventures into a domain of disarray, coherence and some charm does shine through.

The album kicks off with a segmented introduction. “In The Sunshine” winds up with Tomomi Nabana’s (菜花知美) growling guitar ahead of Miyoko Yamaguchi’s (山口美代子) building drums. The song takes off once the bass of Nobuaki Kotajima (古田島伸明) joins and Nabana’s unmistakable, brawny vocals pop in, between her guitar interjections. The moderate chaos finds order with the onset of the divergently fluid chorus. The sonic plateau that the trio built up during the start of “In The Sunshine”, is maintained throughout the entire track — even during the bridge, thanks to some guitar reverb.

“Watering” and “Fatman Blues” follow “In The Sunshine”’s rowdy lead, but the latter takes a turn from the previous tracks’ almost staccato vocal delivery. “Mr. Kato on the Road” turns it up even more, as guitar and bass mount a fervent assault atop a sea of crashing cymbalry.

The proceeding track begins with an obvious guitar riff that runs four bars before detroit7 bends in a creative twist. The band’s take on “Louie Louie” is a spirited rendition that fits in well. It’s a commendable cover. It doesn’t lift too much from the original 50’s classic, but also doesn’t spin into something too obscure. “Louie Louie” is right at home on the album and Nabana’s shrill take on the chorus accents detroit7’s gritty arrangement.

Hopping, swing-style tom-toms bounce in to introduce “24 Hours”, following the album’s “Louie Louie” high. It’s a fresh way kick off the second half of the release. “Down Beat” continues along the path forged by the preceding tracks and it’s not until “Torch Song” that a brief shift is encountered.

“Torch Song” is by far the album’s most approachable track, simply because it lacks some of the gravelly intensity of its predecessors.

The album concludes with “Zelda” and “Lovers Fight”. These tracks do a proper job of looping the release back to the tone and foot it started on.

The songs on detroit7 do sometimes sound a bit formulaic but when you’re playing genre music, conventions are permissible. The sonic plateau mentioned for “In The Sunshine”, extends through the entire release. The album lacks some much-craved variation and the nearly unrelenting wash of noise and distortion begins to sound a bit cacophonous after a while.

detroit7 isn’t for everyone. But don’t shy away, for detroit7’s music can be an acquired taste for adventurous listeners and surely, those listeners and garage rock fans alike, will shake at the knees with excitement from the first guitar riff to the last.

detroit7 formed in 2001 and have opened for Tamio Okuda, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and more. In America, they are currently signed with Daruma Label, a new branch of Domo Records (which is renowned Japanese composer, Kitaro’s label).

The bands next Japanese release, Black and White , is set for release on May 20th.

Watch a live performance of “Fatman Blues” in Paris:

Listen to samples of the album on detroit7’s Daruma page and their official MySpace.

Buy detroit7’s self-titled release on Domo’s official store or on iTunes.