The Elvi

By Tom Spino

Make sure your creases are straight, shine up your wingtips and prepare for Gurnee’s premier suit-clad band to effectively rock you as you occasionally have been rocked before.

“Indestructible Suit” is the first disc available from The Elvi. The band describes the album as “the product of 3 years of writing, 3 weeks of recording and countless hours of packaging.”

The Elvi has been delivering its own blend of intricate, heavy and humorous rock in Lake County, Ill., for years, and the result is an amazing, energetic live show. For those who haven’t been fortunate enough to catch them in person, the album is available at www.theelvi.com.

Placing a genre label on the band is difficult. While its name and style of dress imitate Elvis Presley, the music seems to draw more heavily from the raw energy of punk and the complexity of classic rock.

In addition to the title track, the album features 10 other musical nuggets chock full of rock ‘n’ roll goodness. “The Myth of X-Ray Specs,” “11-58: A Gathering of Juveniles” and “Southwestern Death Omelet” are guaranteed to get feet tapping and heads banging.

In a poignant commentary on the current stupidity of daytime television, “Too Lame for TV” manages to wrap an entire year of Jerry Springer into two-and-a-half minutes of commercial-free thrashing.

The third track, “Emily, Let’s Go,” even mentions our little town of DeKalb, and is a perfect way to start that long drive home on the weekend.

If I had to choose a favorite song on the album, which I don’t but will do anyway, it would have to be “Inner-Office-Food-Fight.” The razor-sharp guitar riffs and elegant blend of the horrors of war and the greater terrors of cafeteria food creates a brilliant and inspiring song — not to mention the best lyrics I’ve heard in years, “my tray becomes a shield, protect from nacho napalm.”

The album is energetic, entertaining, humorous and often tiring. I’ve got blisters on my feet and holes in my soles from all the toe tapping this album forced me to do.

“Indestructible Suit” is a breath of fresh air, countering the overproduced MTV drivel with good old-fashioned, honest rock ‘n’ roll music.

The Elvi is preparing to appear at 9 p.m. Feb. 3 on Chicago’s Q101 (101.1 FM). The boys will be playing tracks from “Indestructible Suit” and most likely making witty little comments along the way.

The show will be an excellent opportunity to sample several, if not all, of the songs on this outstanding album.