Secret Songs: Reflections From the Ear Mirror

Secret Songs opens with an amazing track: “Bye Bye Roxie” is perhaps the cleanest, shiniest, pretty thing the wacky boys from the Bay Area have yet recorded. It’s derived from the early new wave power-pop goodness of nearly 40 years ago, and it’s a darn near perfect tune. But don’t worry—with a step back into Bunny weirdness on the ramshackle (but still relatively clean) “True Vulture” (another song more rooted in power pop than in dirty scuzz punk); then it's on to “Pretty Girls,” where the smell of warm beer and sweat starts seeping in so you don’t have to worry. When “Lizard Lies” takes over (mashing Sweet with The Dirtbombs), you know this bunny hasn’t hippety-hopped down a rainbow-colored path. He's still bashing out the same genius brand of punk, garage, bubblegum, and scuzz rock (still pantless, and still masked on stage) you love him for. With a 30-second thrasher (“Buried in a Bong”), a Bo Diddley–esque hip-shaker (“Lovin Lovin’ You”), a primitive thumper (“Do the Stooge"), and a sweet bubblegum tune infused with Joey Ramone's spirit (“The Birthday Girl”), Secret Songs is another embarrassment of No Bunny riches.