Are you perhaps getting a little bit sick of young dudes laying down intentionally blown-out, fuzzy, garage rock? Join the club, my friend. Based in Oxford, Mississippi — home to William Faulkner and Fat Possum Records — this drums-and-guitar duo throw leaven their mix with healthy helpings of the Stooges and the Who, which not only makes their heaviness feel vital, it also makes you hit play more than twice. There's such a love for snotty singing and heavy-guitar melodies on their debut outing that, at first listen, you might think you've stumbled upon an unheard collaboration between Jay Reatard and the Sic Alps.

Bass Drum of Death — whose name should win some kind of award — have backed up Odd Future's MellowHype on stage, so it's clear they're capable of more than just cooing "oooooh whooooo hooo hoooo" over a Superfuzzed barre chord. Their tunes remain between two-and-a-half and three minutes long — which everyone knows is the ideal pop length. It's proof that these kids did their homework, consciously or otherwise.

The material veers sweetly from throwaway vibe-setters ("Religious Girls," "Spare Room") to anthemic fist-pumpers ("Heart Attack Kid," "Leaves," "Young Pros"). Like the Jacuzzi… read more »