Some sounds are eternal. As the description on the Rough Trade site says "It's the kind of indie punk-rock that would expect to hear in a damp venue in the Midwest during the late 80s..." As a denizen of precisely that scene and time (Uncle Tupelo was the house band for my college days), I heartily agree. But I'll be more specific: This is the missing Naked Raygun album, the one after the band split up.

Statues Black Arcs Rising (Lovely Records)

And no, this doesn't sound a lot like Pegboy. A little, but much more Raygun. Oh, did I mention the band is from Sweden? Turns out America was successful at exporting more than just Michael Jackson and Bon Jovi at that time.

Joke, folks! The Scandinavians have been reflecting American punk and rock since almost forever. Usually there's something that doesn't quite translate, a musical or lyrical piece that has been added. I don't hear that here. The sound is cleaned up, as if these were demos of Alkaline Trio playing Naked Raygun. But the structure and even phrasing is amazingly spot-on.

Quite a trip back to my teenage day--without even going back in time. I simply cannot get tired of this sound, just like I'm always down for an episode of "A Different World." Those are my biases. I have a neighbor whose first band was a Naked Raygun cover band. He's from Indiana, so that makes sense. Anyway, I hope the kids today like these sounds as well. I'm just smiling too much to care.

Jon Worley