Thunderbirds Are Now!

In sweet home Detroit Thunderbirds Are Now! aren't garage enough, in outer Alternia not arty enough. Les Savy Fav fans think they're a ripoff. But there's a reason it's dollars to bottlecaps you've never heard Les Savy Fav, and that reason is--sigh, moan, cliché--tunes. Figure keyboard man Scott Allen provides those, with his guitarist brother Ryan pitching in when he's not riffing angularly or yelping anxiously, generally about something social if not political. Perfect for anyone who believes complex song structures are best served by pop amenities and punk attitude. (Grade - A MINUS)