Summer Cannibals return with their fourth set, further refining their post-punk, post-riot grrl, post-whatever-it-is-that-they-do sound.

Summer Cannnibals Can't Tell Me No (Tiny Engines)

Actually, this isn't complicated. Summer Cannibals hail from Portland (Ore.), and their label resides in Durham (N.C.), home of such bands as the Butchies. Summer Cannibals does remind me a lot of the Butchies, a band that has always been close to my heart (not just because I once lived across the street from one of its members). The basic rhythms and willingness to incorporate dissonance into hooks go a long way there.

And yes, there are nods to Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney as well. But Summer Cannibals have taken all those ideas and fused them into something more muscular and tuneful. Ah, tuneful dissonance. I'm a big fan.

That said, this is going to appeal most to folks who fell in love with the Breeders and then lived through all the shit that was the 90s. Kids today might be a little lost. That's okay. They'll come around. The good stuff has staying power, and Summer Cannibals aren't going anywhere.

Jon Worley