ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT
Group Sounds (TVT/Universal)

It's more than strange that RFTC have one of the most infectious sounds, critical support and a diehard fanbase, yet the brass ring just keeps eluding them ? until now. Touting some of the band's best material since Scream, Dracula, Scream (the disc that taught many a new rocker how it's done), Group Sounds boasts gritty riffs, higher energy than Richard Simmons on crack and one of the only horn sections in rock that actually benefits the music. With tracks like "Carne Voodoo," "Venom Venom" and "S.O.S.," RFTC's Supersuckers-meets-the-Specials-meets-Fangoria sound is cool, suave and rock 'n' fuckin' roll, baby!

- Keith Carman