The Figgs

SUCKING IN STEREO

(Hearbox)

Clocking in at a concise 31 minutes, the Figgs' second release for the local Hearbox label delivers instant gratification. Every track is short and catchy, and most of them grab hold the first time around. Once a polite little pop group, the Figgs have taken on the rock-and-roll drive of singer/guitarist Mike Gent's other band, the Gentlemen, without losing their old appreciation for a strong hook. The closest thing to a pure pop number here is "Cheap Cassettes," with Gent waxing nostalgic about the "cheap cassettes of Motörhead" that he used to wear out. Elsewhere, loud and fast rules. "Opening Night" is the Replacements' "Talent Show" as rewritten by a band who are actually enjoying themselves. "Reaction" is a cocky strut that one-time touring partner Graham Parker would love to have written. The band's old '60s garage-rock tendencies come on strong in "Gotta Get Out," which refers to the Outsiders' oldie "Time Won't Let Me" (the Gravel Pit's Jed Parish plays the borrowed keyboard lick). And "Dance Lesson" is proof enough that Gent has absorbed those Motörhead tapes. The disc is only as polished as it needs to be -- enough to bring the tunes out but not so much as to obscure the blustery bravado of a band rocking a packed house at a sweaty club and enjoying every minute of it.

-- Brett Milano