The A.K.A.'s

Let me say that I have a weakness for a few things in rock music. One is a good use of an organ . So right off the bat, the A.K.A's have scored points with me. (The other is a horn section - ala "Why Can't I Be You?")

"This is the Way We Move" , the first track, launches right out of the gate with floor stomper that's reminiscent of the Caesar's, Jet, and the White Stripes. Less quirky than the Caesar's, more British than Jet and less pretentious than the Stripes. On top of all that, add a dash of the Misfits. They sound like they're having fun, which goes a long way with me. I imagine their concerts being racous affairs with lots of spilled beer, singing along with a cigarette in your mouth (can you do that anywhere anymore?) and cute girls you lose sight of in the crowd.

They occassionally dip too close to the 'pop-punk' genre for my taste, especially on tracks like "Dead Flowers Forever". Their lyrics are simple, which when well done means they end up being catchy and fun. When simple goes the other way though you end up with trite and down right 'eye rolling' as on "We Write Our Own Anthems". For the most part though, I'd call their album Everybody Make Some Noise consistent and fun. However, it never quite returns to the high of the first track.

Overall, I'd call this album a 10:15pm, played between some "Black Betty" and the Strokes. The A.K.A's