Sonic Reducer

 

For a band awkwardly lumped in with Interpol for marketing purposes, Action Action sure can muster a wicked impersonation of the Cars. "Photograph," like much of this debut from the new band of former Reunion Show front man Mark Thomas Kluepfel, tucks a disturbing, personal story into a can of deceptively simple pop. Deceptive sure, but still very much retro pop. "Let's Never Go To Sleep," for example, is like a U2 track from the days when "Bono" and "World Bank" didn't appear in the same newspaper, let alone the same story.

 

Last weekend, public television ran a seemingly never-ending parade of live sets from aging rock stars for its seemingly never-ending pledge drive. Sadly, many of the well-fed performers couldn't marshal the youthful exuberance to give their generation-defining songs the kick they deserve. This debut full-length from the Out Crowd has the opposite effect. Former Brian Jonestown Massacre songwriter Matt Hollywood and his cadre of rock kids make well-chosen sonic references to four decades of songwriting to give The Holy City a spot-on rock mood. The feeling is there 100 percent. The songs just aren't as good.