The U.S. debut by
Bombshell Rocks -- the Swedish punks' third release overall -- is basic old-school street punk that doesn't bring anything new or unique to the style, but delivers its 12 songs with so much shout-along energy and bash-it-out passion that such complaints seem entirely beside the point. Devotees of the '70s U.K. style above all others -- the anthemic "Where We Gather" is basically a rewrite of
Sham 69's "If the Kids Are United" and other songs recall
Stiff Little Fingers' politically charged rabble-rousing and
the Clash's stylistic diversity --
Bombshell Rocks have their sound and vision down cold. Interestingly, however, it turns out that the album's best song is the only one that looks beyond a blinkered view of punk history; "The Will the Message" is a devout homage to the transformative powers of old R&B singles that makes
Paul Weller's soul-boy phase sound like mere dress-up and, perhaps not coincidentally, features the album's strongest hooks.