Morningwood

It is clear from the opening riff of “Nü Rock” that Morningwood is not trying to make a grand statement. The quartet’s self-titled debut album is supposed to be good, trashy fun and nothing more. The music is derivative, with guitarist Richard Steel playing second-hand riffs and aping your favorite garage bands. But the group has a disarming knack for writing brashly observant cuts such as “Jetsetter,” “Ride the Lights,” and “New York Girls,” where vocalist Chantal Claret taunts, “Come on, New York girls, tell us where you’re really from.” (Is it Florida?) Since the album is being released on a major label, discerning hipsters might dismiss Morningwood as an inauthentic hodgepodge of cool styles, even though the band is no less contrived than anyone else in the NY hot rock scene these days. Indeed dancing to Morningwood may require you to suspend your sarcasm.