SLAMMIN’ WATUSIS (Epic)

Watusis? Actually, they’re from the Midwest. Slammin’? You betcha! While the hot ’n’ nasty attack sometimes verges on hardcore cruelty, these window-rattling raveups unleash the joyous, liberating power of good old rock ’n’ roll (They thank the Damned, appropriately.) Like a bar band obsessed with speed, the Watusis dash through emotional pop tunes (“It Just Ain’t Right”), take bluesy grooves at doubletime (“King Of Cha Cha"), and anxiously wring every last drop of slob angst from earnest morality tales (“It’s Alright To Show You CARE”). Frank Raven’s squawking sax and Mark Durante’s overheated guitar provide numerous thrills, but keeping this good-natured bluster on the right side of chaos required a true group effort. Way to go!