If you could imagine Cheap Trick playing Replacements songs (and that's a bigger stretch than it initially seems), then you start to get the idea. The Magic E's are a British rock band (decidedly not Britpop, though they do have a fabulous way with a hook) that seems to have once again completed the cross-Atlantic circuit.

The Magic E's Dead Star (Oh Mercy)

Because--using my references just for fun--Cheap Trick and the 'Mats drew inspiration largely from English acts. And those same acts (the Who, the Clash, the Small Faces) can be heard here as well. There are so few bands playing straightforward rock and roll these days that the Magic E's sound seems even fresher than it is.

But these songs are well-crafted. Exuberant playing harnessed by crunchy production, with a motor that keeps churning. Yes, there is a basic formula behind all of this. Yes, most people have moved on. No, the Magic E's can't be dismissed as dinosaurs. They have all the verve and energy that makes rock and roll a living, breathing thing.

Fun and powerful. I don't think the world is looking for a new great rock band, but it just might have one anyway. The Magic E's have made the move up from merely good. Time for people to take note.

Jon Worley