Royal Bangs – We Breed Champions (2008)

Don’t let the indie rock classification (or my recent “mellow music” reviews) fool you into thinking the Royal Bangs don’t rock something serious… just listen to the track “Brother” and you’ll agree. This is rock and roll (and I like it). We Breed Champions’ loose, lo-fi, garage rock reminds me of bands that get second or third billing for a show, siege the stage with reverberating guitar hooks, frenzied, symbol heavy drumming, and electrifying energy and pretty soon have the previously apathetic bar crowd pressed up against the stage and rockin’ hard. I found these guys through Black Keys’ drummer Patrick Carney's label Audio Eagle, and as you would expect from this association they are heavy on the rough, catchy, but not one-dimensional, garage rock.

Rock hard to, but not limited to, “Brother,” and reduce the speed (just slightly) with “Broke Calculator” or “New Scissors.”