They're nothing to look at and their misogynist sub-dom jones is so naked and stagey esp. on the Ode To Objectification they've chosen as their radio howdy - I prefer the one-on-one tracks - that I'll understand if you refuse to give their riffs a chance to connect. As a fan of confident crass, I've got to give it up for Louis XIV. I should probably listen to Ziggystuff more thoroughly before I speak but I'm pretty much ready to say I prefer The Best Little Secrets Are Kept to any full-length platter Bowie's dropped, as much as I wish their porny leers implied the inclusive freedom of "Kooks." Any classic glam ref dropped is warranted, as these guys understand and exploit those stolen sounds with a hook-heavy, playful accuracy. Just when Ice Of Boston, I mean the Hold Steady, was starting to click for me these guys show up to reveal just how good boorish hollers over classic-rock regalia could sound (Catholics and Lifter-lifers, if there's a difference, can quibble).

Pavement/Weezer, Desaparecidos/Good Charlotte, Hold Steady/Louis XIV, its a marvel how the majors almost telepathically swipe a vibe from the underground and glossy it up into an ethically questionable commercial smash package. The new SPIN has some ludicrous multi-page ads where these guys, the Used, Bowling For Soup and some lesser lights take credit for hack-cheese reviews of new video games (I almost wish Bert and the boys actually sat down to type "Major League Baseball 2005 will knock you out of the ballpark! Home run!" or whatever). It's almost enough to make you believe in the devil. With a thin line between liberal heroism and self-deifying piety (not sure I'm ready for GC's upcoming "We Believe" video), I sometimes need my rawk to be a little ill-intentioned. The almost inevitable fall's less heart-breaking.

P.S. Singles blurbs at Stylus. Decent tracks this week: Fiddy's cutest come-on and the Backstreet Boys' Evanescence cover.

P.P.S. If Sleater-Kinney weren't too shy to look into the camera, their video for "Entertain" would make me faint. It's still pretty thrilling.