FIRETONES-Trouble (Warner Sisters EP):s Ever notice all those frayed hunks of truck tires laying in the freeway? Well, the Firetones happen to be the shredded tread of the old Rubber City Rebels, a biased-ply band from Akron who burnt the gummy stuff to little popular gvail in at least two previous go-rounds of “punkrock.” Vocalist Rod “Bent” Firestone and guitarist Johnny “Bethesda” Lyon survive from the old Rebels, while they’ve been hopefully retreaded by the addition of bassist Randy Rice, once of the Eric Burdon Band(l). Rod Firestone’s still carrying a chip on his shoulder ’cause of being born with a wide whitewall in his mouth, but his petulance is taking forms more powerpop (q.v.) than punk by now. OK stuff in itself, but we gets gimmicks too: both sides of the record have the same four songs, plus the Moshe Brakha cover shot is ripe with assorted fetish hotchas (but no rubber—whadya think these guys are?) Should be a good year for ’em. Warner Sisters Records, 922 6th St. #8, Santa Monica, CA 90403.R.R. UNITS—New Way To Move (Epic):: Fqirly new SanFran group on their first major-label album outing exhibit highly charitable domestic synthpop fashionability. Very addictive beats, male/female tradeoff vocals: actually this reminds me a lot of the Human League. (That’s a compliment, Units, even if you think—being from S.F. and all—that you’ve got “higher” artistic aims.) And of course these Units would look just ducky in a clever video. Faster, faster! R.R,

THE RUBINOOS-Party Of Two (Warner Bros.):: After four years between records, the Rubinoos have re-emerged as a duo with major label backing, big time producer and back-up band (T. Rundgren and Utopia), a more mature approach to songwriting.. .and what a flop return it is. This five-song EP has one cut (“The Girl”) that remotely recalls the teen exuberance of their ’77 debut LP. The rest is a feeble mishmash which flirts pitifully with AOR pop and MOR balladeering and with DOA imagination. Boys, you’ve grown up. My condolences. C.Z.