The Time Is Now

The best, most exciting punkish album from New York in over a decade is no small feat. Consider how many have been made in that time! But Electric Frankenstein's The Time Is Now! is the real McCoy. Song after song rips by, with the requisite drive, energy, tight power, muscle, attitude, and smacking chops. This is punk built on guitar riffs — mean, angry, and measured — paired with the clean, dense production often favored by Australians. In fact, a few songs echo the power riff from the Saints' "(I'm) Stranded," and Steve Miller's barking vocals recall the aggressive yelp of the Misfits' Glenn Danzig (without the crooning) or the Dead Boys Stiv Bators. From the crunching "E. F. Theme" (formerly a 7" on Minttone), to the equally seething "Teenage Shutdown," "Rise and Crash," and "Fast and Furious," there's no letup, just midtempo rockin' killers led by two early-'80s punks, guitarists Jim Foster (from the original lineup of Adrenalin O.D.) and Sal Canzonieri. Hot stuff, and hard-as-nails rock & roll.