Running

"Groove" isn't a word that comes up much when talking punk and garage rock. But it's been there since day one — the Stooges' first two albums are basically blues jams, with Iggy and Ron Asheton howling over top, a fact Chicago's Running are certainly aware of. The strangely titled "Oo0o Oo0O Oo0oOo" makes the trio's intentions crystal clear, as the bass and drums lock together, making room for psych freak-out guitar wails and echo-laden howls to eviscerate your eardrums. Vaguely Ethnic (their debut album for California's Castle Face) certainly is a nice slice of acid-soaked rock, but the sameness of said grooves on these nine tracks is exacerbated by the album's 21-minute duration. Still, Running mine the past without wallowing in retro tropes — a major marker of individuality in crowded field of copycats.