Named after a Bowie B-side, Sweethead is a side project from Queens Of The Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen. Teaming up with the voluptuous Serina Simms on vocals, Norm Block on drums and Eddie Nappi on bass, the band serve up a wonderfully loose slice of LA sleaze.

Produced by Troy, the publicity blurb describes Sweethead as being all rock and roll swagger - like a night out on Hollywood Boulevard with a Jack and Coke in your hand. And with a sound like a cross between the Stooges and the Garbage, I simply can't disagree.

The album is dangerously seductive - packed with deliberate rough edges that draw you in, and even though you know it shouldn't work, the guttural, organic sound takes you into dark corners where guilty pleasures await.

And the album sleeve just adds another layer of sexuality - Serina Simms vamping it up Jerry Hall style and beckoning you to indulge. But tempting as it may be, you'd be wise not to accept an offer to be tied to her bedposts. It could be the ride, or the last day, of your life.

Subterranean and moody Sweethead is a compulsive loose blend LA punk glam. Addictive and strangely compulsive. Go there at your peril.

***

Review by Pete Whalley