Everyone Thinks You're the Best

This second effort from New York's garagey Teenage Prayers is a raucous, glam-infused affair. Its 12 songs swirl by at jaunty clip, each filled with loads of catchy hooks and brain-teasing stop-start dynamics. Producer and semi-legend Steve Wynn reportedly jumped at the chance to record the Teenage Prayers after they opened for him. From the easygoing and well-separated mix Wynn presents here, it's clear that he fell in love with the band's attitude and swagger, as those are the main elements he features. Frontman Tim Adams' interesting high-pitched snarl might seem annoying at first, but his Isaac Brock meets the Darkness meets Ray Charles vibe is a perfect counterpoint to the blues-rock guitars, funky organ, chiming tambourine, and bright brass that form these stompers. Quick-paced burners like "No Sex," "Good Voodoo," and the gospel-tinged "I Like It" dominate the album, and with these rocking numbers a listener can picture the band kicking out the jams while a beer-soaked audience revels. And while 60 percent of the tracks could almost be called doppelgängers for each other, the Teenage Prayers are accomplished enough to pull off atmospheric slow-burners as well, as on the soulful "Don't Call" and the somewhat psychedelic "Heiroglyph." They change the pace even further when guitarist Terrence Adams tackles lead vocals on the Big Star-like "Dreams of the South" and the less successful and somewhat stylistically jarring carnival-esque closer, "Spirit in a Can." Everyone Thinks You're the Best is a rocking good time, executed with soul and conviction, and ultimately a wonderful endorsement for a band that must be a blast in a live setting.