The Deadbeats
Come clean 7"
Bootleg Booze Records
As soon as I put this on my wife said, "is that The Hellacopters?" So yeah, they're not gonna win any points for originality, but I must admit that they do what they do pretty darn well. Whereas most wannabe hard rock bands emphasize the 'hard' part, these guys remember to play up the power-pop end of things, even covering a classic Cheap Trick song ("He's a whore"). They've got the talent part down, now they just need a little more personality.
- Avi Roig