The Murder City Devils' full-length debut holds up as a ferocious connective tissue between Drive Like Jehu's post-hardcore and the garage revival of the late '90s. But on songs like "Flashbulb", there's also a primal clamor that screams and howls the influence of the Stooges and Misfits. MURDER CITY is, in a way, a last vestige of punk's pre-digital-age, low-budget racket-making. But on album highlights like "Boom Swagger Boom", the group also hints at a retro-forward, rhythmic garage-rock knowhow that clearly influenced artists such as (International) Noise Conspiracy.|

Rovi