Hard Place

Some bands are riding the ’80s pop nostalgia bandwagon to commercial success while others clearly get it. Hard Place is definitely part of the latter group. With the stark arty prog wave of bands like Devo, the Sparks and Gang of Four among their obvious influences and Electric Light Orchestra and the Buzzcocks among the not so obvious, this San Francisco-based trio is like an object lesson in what happens when geeks who were too young to start a band during the early days of new wave finally get around to picking up instruments. And fans of underground old school new wave should thank them for doing so.