Tijuana Hercules-Pulp Tuxedo; No Sides Records, 2026

One of the most pleasing aesthetics to have been conjured by the early Rock 'n Roll era was that of less is more. It must be recalled that much American music before the Rock 'n Roll era, at least the music being documented on the dreaded physical media (which so often just ends up being furniture), was produced with large bands or orchestras. Rock 'n Roll paired things down, slimmed the lines out, and allowed for the  basic, simple beauty of the sounds of a small combo to ring out and be appreciated for their less encumbered and cleaner strokes. For their 2026 release, Pulp Tuxedo, Tijuana Hercules also went the minimal route, pairing their instrumental attack down to just three elements: electric guitar, baritone saxophone, and drum set. The result is a rockin' and rollin' set, filled with shorter songs that do not skimp on the melodies. Disaster Amnesiac is familiar with at least one of the bands with which Pulp Tuxedo is connected by membership and figures that anyone in the group could go off upon any Avant Garde tangent that they'd choose to wander down. Instead, Tijuana Hercules keeps things nice and greasily Blues-ey. The result of this decision is an album that pumps and pushes and jumps as its players dig in to a form that never doesn't work. Singer John Forbes keeps his delivery cool, often speak-singing his lyrics as he chucks hopped up chordal figures with his axe. Dig on Bounce for a great example of his style in this regard. Additionally, the tone of guitar is clearly well considered. Nicely raw yet never overdriven to the point of excess. John's a great guitar player. Baritone saxophonist Doug Abram provides sounds that envelop and contrast with the guitar. His soloing on tracks such as Paper Bag and Gravity Sits In show him to be a very developed player, one worthy of any showcases in which he blows. Extra cool is the pretty much Ethiopian sound that he affects on Four Walls Underwater. What Jazz and improvising groups does Abram play in? On the drums we find Joe Patt. It sounds as if he plays a pretty small kit: not too much tom tom flaring or China cymbal syncopation from him, just good, solid, four on the floor time keeping. It's the ways in which he propels the other two members of Tijuana Hercules that really impresses. For examples of his more subtle touches, hear Lying To God and realize that Patt can probably get by within any musical situation that he finds himself to be part of. It's always perfectly fine to go back to the roots, and it can be argued that it's even kind of essential. There really is just as much abstraction and real thought within forms that perhaps present as a bit more staid than some of the more willfully "out" ones. Tijuana Hercules certainly sound to be proponents of that kins of thinking, and per No Sides Bandcamp page they've done so for a quarter century. No doubt their live shows have the walls shaking and the ceiling dripping with beery sweat.