Briefs

Rocking like it’s 1979, Seattle’s the Briefs just can’t seem to shake the notion that they are the Buzzcocks re-born. From their look, which incorporates the requisite skinny ties and trousers and novelty shades, to their sound, which is that of the scrappy melodic pogo-punk rock of London in the late 1970s, the quartet are pure retro heaven. To their credit, as far as bands who sound like throwbacks to a more carefree time in punk, they are at least brave enough to not try and disguise themselves as being "influenced by.” They are shameless plagiarists and they know and fully admit it. But unlike those other bands, they actually get it right. Their goofy lyrics and choppy, unpolished playing are exactly what made the music so real and endearing in the first place. And what the album lacks in originality, it more than makes up for in spirit. They’re almost daring you to try and sit still while dismissing them as derivative. Bet you can’t.