World Racketeering Squad

The tunes on What Is Nerdwave? tell stories. The band uses its knack for good, sticky chorus hooks and supports it by writing lyrics that increase the expectation and hence the payoffs for the choruses.
They also make their 80's-rock inspirations their own by injecting the Racketeers' personal obsessions and quirks, from the technosexual weirdness of "Electromagnetic Pulse" to the fanfic romance "Summer" (as in Summer Glau).
The smart construction of the songwriting enhances the modest pleasures of their playing. A few songs really pop out: "I'm Not Dead" is fast, goofy fun and "Looking for Lorelei" is expertly conceived power pop. - Big Western Flavor

World Racketeering Squad weren't the most technically proficient band I saw this week, but they put on the best show. That's what counts! Guitarist Isaac Priestley is really talented, and his playing provides the necessary ballast for their goofy but clever vocal melodies. The drums are simple but effective, and bassist/singer Reed Oliver does his best on his instrument even though he started learning to play after founding the band. You'd have to be listening very hard to notice their mistakes, however, because their songs are very strong. They really emphasize what's best about the band: their sense of humor, their camaraderie, and their attention to detail. Can you become a good songwriter merely by listening extremely closely to tons and tons of good songs? I believe that you can, and WRS are a perfect test case. - Big Western Flavor