Rocket From The Crypt: RFTC

Scream, Dracula, Scream!, Rocket From The Crypt's most recent album, ambitiously tried to pack a heavy sonic punch into every song. The result was a record with some strong points, but which wasn't particularly successful on the whole. The new RFTC may not pull off Scream's hook-heavy idiot igniters ("Stuck," "Born In '69"), but it is a hell of a lot more consistent. Rocket From The Crypt plays a dense mix of punk swagger and jaunty beats, accentuated by a horn section; it sounds like heavy party music, plain and simple. While RFTC marks the first time the group has used an outside producer, there's no dilution of its sound: "Panic Scam" and "You Gotta Move" have enough raw energy and swing to sate even the most beat-starved listener, while "Lipstick" is a fun, bouncy sing-along number. Whether your fancy is pogo or go-go, Rocket From The Crypt can accommodate you. Spend a drunken evening with RFTC, and you, like hundreds of fans, can wake up the next morning with a pounding headache, dance-weary limbs, and a Rocket From The Crypt tattoo.