RFTC Review From The Details

Rocket From the Crypt, RFTC (Interscope)

Bastard sons of the same misguided mommy who brought you smooth-talking debonair tough guys like the Afghan Whigs, San Diego's Rocket From The Crypt are sideburn-damaged sonic archivists who play rock as a pageant of beefy masculine achretypes. Lead singer Speedo howls, then tries to croon like a bowling-alley Lothario, while the band pound out extra-burly swingabilly, guitarist ND. tosses off one-note solos, and the horn players reanimate the greasier hits of the 50's. Their clothes look great, but they'd just be a blast from the past-- or Sha Na Na-- if they didn't dress up their music with snmart-guy stunts like "borrowing" the riff from the Beatles' "Revolution" to put underneath their chain-gang sing-along "Break It Up." The fact that Rocket From the Crypt scream and shout like they've got fire ants in their pants doesn't suck either. Rating: 7 out of 10.