Unite Tonight

Every gearhead knows that a huge engine in a light car will create the most horsepower. Applying what they learned in auto shop are Austin's Those Peabodys. The band has stripped its framework to the bare essentials, and sloshed the fuel from bass, drums, and two guitars into its furious rock & roll engine. The result? Rubber-burning metal with no room for posing and no patience for reticence. Presented in what sounds like glorious mono, Unite Tonight is a marvel of cowbells, Les Pauls, and half-time, Sabbath-style instrumental freak-outs. And while it isn't stoner rock per se, Those Peabodys' sound can be similar to bands normally associated with that genre, such as Fu Manchu or Monster Magnet.

Since gearheads do their talking under the hood or on the road, it's no surprise that Unite Tonight is weak in the lyrical department. "Komputer Musik" is a rather kooky tale of technology and human beings, and doesn't go anywhere until most of the singing ends in the last minute. The Texas shout-out in "Red Pants" is understandable, but it only takes away from the song's undeniable groove. Those Peabodys are much better when they're concentrating on re-tooling late-'70s metal with a 21st century flair for keeping things interesting with plenty of changes and touches of new wave ("Makin' Magik") and punk. "Bustin' up Yo Complex" and "What's up Turbo" are both standout tracks that generate all kinds of derivative, yet damn fun rock & roll horsepower.