With Audioslave defunct and the Rage Against the Machine reunion essentially fizzled out, guitarist extraordinaire Tom Morello has to find something to do, and his new supergroup of sorts, Street Sweeper Social Club, provides the perfect venue. His trademark squawking axwork has been sorely missed on record for the last few years, and it makes a welcome comeback on Street Sweeper’s self-titled debut, an album that often sounds like the Rage comeback that never was.
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Morello, playing both guitar and bass, teams up with rapper Boots Riley of left-wing hip-hop act The Coup and drummer Stanton Moore of jam band Galactic, for an unlikely but potent combination that showcases both Morello’s riff-writing prowess and the serious political commentary that he lamented was missing from Audioslave. Riley is just as radical and angry as Rage’s Zack de la Rocha, although Riley’s pure hip-hop background lends his delivery a more rhythmic flow, which, combined with Moore’s jazzy chops, gives Street Sweeper’s music a bit of a funky swagger to go with the hard rock.
Riley also has something that de la Rocha lacked—a wicked sense of humor. “100 Little Curses” is a sarcastic kiss-off to rich elites, and a damn catchy song besides. “Fight! Smash! Win!” and “Clap for the Killers” both sound tailor-made for die-hard Rage fans, and “Promenade” expands the group’s repertoire with Riley talk-singing over a funk beat that sounds almost like a Red Hot Chili Peppers song. Some of the tracks are a little too close to Rage castoffs, but that’s a small price to pay for the return of the Morello guitar genius.
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