Palumbo

Polite but firm anti-neocon postpunk/Eighties-ness began as a powwow between early Cars and Sonic Youth before gradually revving into a not badly done AOR experiment, which leaves it up to the sage minds behind commercial radio to give it a push out of the starting gate. A one-man operation, Palumbo's previous outfit, Crack the Sky, Billboarded its way into cultdom, although here the emphasis is on "Rock the Vote" platitudes that seriously threaten anarchy once or twice. Warrant-style guitar runs get face time during "Monkeyshines," wherein Palumbo picks apart Joe Walsh's "Life's Been Good." The album moves on into a co-op of Steve Winwood rock-outs and Phil Collins anger management.