Monkey Kong

UK pressing features a total of 14 tracks. Warner. 2004.

Make way for the first great brother band of the 21st century. A, an economically titled Brit band featuring siblings Jason, Adam, and Giles Perry, combine the harmonic splendor of the Beach Boys with the sonic onslaught of the Buzzcocks. The band doesn't hide its influences on this, their U.S. debut: Jason's upper-register vocals evoke a more tuneful Perry Farrell on "Jason's Addiction," while "Old Folks" is the best early Police song Sting never wrote. There are even moments where A sounds like a punk rock Yes (they covered "Owner of a Lonely Heart" on an early B-side). Yet they get away with all this and more, thanks to deft craftsmanship, killer chops, and striking arrangements. Moogs, muted trumpets, and the learning toy Speak & Spells sneak into the traditional rock mix, and virtually every track comes with an intoxicating anthemic chorus. And with lyrics like, "Yeah, the trees are pretty wide / That's where Sonny Bono died / All is quiet on New Year's Day," what's not to love? --Bill Forman