Fad

In the early 2000s, New York City (especially Brooklyn) became the home of a healthy garage rock revival scene — which is quite appropriate because the Big Apple is the place that gave us everyone from the Rascals in the '60s to the Fleshtones in the '70s. The Strokes were hailed as the garage rock revival scene's unofficial leaders, and there were plenty of other noteworthy participants such as the Blam and the Fad. On this debut EP, the Fad demonstrate that they have many of the same '60s and '70s influences as other garage rock revivial bands that came out of N.Y.C. in the early 2000s, with influences like the Kinks, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Animals and the Jam. Clearly, the Fad brings a power pop aesthetic to the table, and that means that they value rockin' exuberance as well as hooks and a strong sense of melody. Tracks like "No Doubt in My Mind," "Waiting for You," and "Anyhow," aren't the least bit groundbreaking, but in terms of enthusiasm and infectiousness, the Fad usually come through. Lead singer/guitarist John Laurence, bassist Michael Pisano and drummer Anthony DeCarlo — the three New York residents who comprise the Fad — never try to impress us with how abstract, difficult or angular they can be. Their priorities are hooks, beats and melodies — a simple yet effective recipe — and even though this EP won't go down in history as the most ambitious or innovative debut of 2003, the Fad are good at what they do. Forward-thinking? No. Likable and catchy? Absolutely.