Resurrection Rock

Death on Wednesday

Sidecho Records

These punkabilly dudes from HB once spent an evening jamming with Social Distortion at the House of Blues, only to face the cruel reality of doing restaurant work the next morning, waiting on people who'd never give a whit about their music. Now, if they wanted a little payback, they could actually get some with this respectable EP. It's six songs telling the world how they really feel, and to anyone who picked up their full-length Buying the Lie, that's no big surprise. Social Distortion's vodka-pickled tales of anger and disappointment still serve as this quartet's main model, and their big brothers show them how tuneful a hard-luck life can be. Such tracks as "Simple Life" are bracing, country-fried punk statements packed with two-fisted readings of protein-and-starch rock & roll. Like Clint Eastwood action flicks, their songs can surprise you with touching nuances, such as with "Falling"–what should have been another lunkheaded rockabilly jam about loneliness gets goosed a few notches up the complexity meter by a final few perfect notes, wonderfully capturing the essence of soulful regret. There are problems, though. These boys rarely show a sense of humor, and they have a dangerous tendency to put a foofy pop sheen on their woeful tales. And then there's the matter of that eye-rolling title . . .

Info: www.deathonwednesday.com