Review

What do you get? 14 more gems from Manchester's punk godfathers.
After a long sojourn in the land of half-assed, seminal Manchester punk group Buzzcocks rebounded with 2003s self-titled album, a gritty and grinding reminder of how thrilling the band can be when the stick to their strengths. Though much focus was placed on the contribution of estranged 'cock Howard Devoto, longtime legacy-bearers Pete Shelley and Steve Diggle had also experienced creative rejuvenations, guiding fleets of steely riffing with their nervy, adenoidal sneers.

Flat-Pack Philosophy maintains the momentum, toning down some of Buzzcocks wild-eyed aggression to favor songs with cleaner corners and steadier tempos. There's also a clearer, weirder debt to '50s American motorcycle rock; "Sell You Everything" roars and bobs with a thuggish toughness and the stacked falsetto backing vocals on "Wish I'd Never Loved You" are like bulked-up doo-wop. There are darker moments as well — "Soul Survivor" is a drag strip epitaph trimmed with grim harmonics and "Big Brother Wheels" is all blaze-of-glory dive-bombing. After many years of trying, the Buzzcocks are back up to Scratch.