Tye Hammonds and George Pauley are the By Gods, but a big part of some of the best songs on this album is the utterly brilliant bass playing by Paul Kintzing (whose regular gig is with German Error Message). Kintzing didn't write any of the stuff, but when he cuts loose he's got a loopy, bouncy feel that recalls Peter Hook in his salad days.

The By Gods I Don't Care Who Believes Me... (self-released)

Which is to say that Hammonds and Pauley are not just great songwriters, they're smart as hell, too. If you've got a friend that can play like that and you know it would help your songs, sign that guy up. It's not like these throttle 'n' pop songs needed extra flourishes, but the light touch on the deep end is lovely.

In general, this recalls some of the great semi-melodic, semi-hardcore, semi-pop/rock bands of the early 90s. I happen to love that stuff--I'm a sucker for anthems that feature shouted gang vocals--and from the first lick I knew this album would be in my wheelhouse.

Judging by the photo, Pauley and Hammonds are about my age (maybe a tad younger) and have loved music like this for quite a while as well. That's cool. When you're playing music you like and playing it loud and fast, life doesn't get much better.

I laid it on pretty thick at the top when I was talking about Kintzing. He's great. The songs are even better. This set is short, sweet and blistering. Happiness comes in many flavors, and an awful lot of them are on this album.

Jon Worley