mutronium

For a lifelong New Wave fan, one just can't get enough of the current '80s revival. Youthful bands such as Franz Ferdinand, the Killers, the Pin-Up Girls, the Bravery, and the Kaiser Chiefs have resuscitated rock & roll from over a decade of widespread blandness and obnoxious screaming. Add Mutronium to the list of rebels. On their self-titled, self-released five-track EP, the trio dusts off the Cars' clash of chilly synthesizers and AOR guitars and gives it a Pixies post-punk burst of manic energy. The Cars and the Pixies are obvious influences—blatant inspirations—but hearing the two styles together is a blast. "I'm All Over You" starts with a déjà vu riff that may have been lifted, subconsciously or not, from the Cars' "Double Life" and then explodes into a power-pop firecracker that'll have aging New Wavers doing the pogo across the room. Even better is "Connected," which borrows from the Ric Ocasek songbook a little deeper—check out those cold, alienated vocals—while reaching speeds that the Cars never did. Squiggly keyboards and chunky bass lines fuel "Square Mile," and "Wicked Girl" is so New Wave that Johnny Slash from Square Pegs would've remarked, "That is so New Wave." And the group simply doesn't slow down. The closing tune, "Trilateral," is pedal-to-the-floor fun.

- www.cdreviews.com

If the Cars' Ric Ocasek had fronted the Pixies—or if Neil Young was the lead singer of the Cars—what they would've sounded like is realized in Mutronium. As bizarre as those combinations seem, they vividly describe this oddball young band. "I'm All Over You" opens with Jesus & Mary Chain-esque doomy percussion that quickly dissolves into herky-jerky power pop. Vocalist Joel Neumatic has, intentionally or not, resurrected Ocasek's detached cool while the guitars slash and burn a la the Pixies. It's a formula that the group utilizes throughout the EP, but there's nothing wrong with sticking to a style that works effectively; after all, the Ramones built a career around it. On "Connected," Mutronium recall the Cars even more as the Neumatic's voice takes an even icier tone. There have been numerous artists compared to the Cars throughout the decades; however, none have captured the Boston band's nervous energy as well as Mutronium. But Mutronium is not some retro act; they're simply being faithful to the true definition of alternative rock, picking up where it left off before the grunge explosion.



- Whisperin' & Hollerin' U.K.

As the northeastern United States settles into a deep freeze, it's probably a good idea to break out some summery pop for the sake of escapism. This song is an excellent Cars pastiche complimented by some noisy lead guitar straight out of the Joey Santiago playbook and dynamic programmed percussion that flirts with Big Beat, but remains grounded in contemporary power pop. In terms of pop-rock music, this is the song to beat in 2005.



- www.fluxblog.org

This would go well as the climatic prom song in an 80's movie. I mean that it the good way, for seriously. Alright, just imagine if the Breakfast Club kids actually kept their promises, and the sequel featured a prom scene. This song would so be in it.



- www.livejournal.com