Last Call for Vitriol

On their fourth album, Last Call for Vitriol, Superdrag doesn't have any bad blood. Well, not really. Arena Rock Recordings feels like family, and the nasty departure from Elektra is old news. What remains the same is the band's jaunty, two-sided rock sound: candied licks meshed together with spiky cut riffs for a spitfire of real pop/rock. Frontman/guitarist John Davis' vocal kick is killer on the punk fury of "So Insincere" and "The Staggering Genius." However, he makes room for bassist Sam Powers to take to the mic on the gnarly "Remain Yer Strange." Powers also wrote/co-wrote five tracks on Last Call for Vitriol, and the magic between he and Davis is obvious. From "Safe and Warm" to the space rock threads of "Feeling Like I Do," Superdrag's Southern roots and good boy sensitivity is at its finest. They're far more darling than Fountains of Wayne and a bit too rowdy to be like Weezer. Last Call for Vitriol is formulaic in the sense of the band's sticking with what makes them rock out in the first place. Superdrag has never compromised their sound, and Last Call for Vitriol redefines that with a sucker punch.