With feel-good power pop and snappy songwriting,
the Wake Ups follow in the footsteps of acts like
Big Star and
Cheap Trick, but never make the mistake that many of their contemporaries fall prey to -- pop/punk. Nope,
the Wake Ups maintain a crunchy,
Beatles-loving, retro sheen, and while not as original as, say,
Brendan Benson, songs like "Can't Believe My Luck" recall
Big Star's "September Gurls," while "Second Time Around" resonates with a '70s countrified flavor. The Wake Ups can do a little glam rock, too ("Nobody Slows"), but they never seem to simply be rehashing old territory. By the end, despite all the different influences, the sound of
Wanna Meet the Wake Ups can come off a little homogenous, but this record is a substantial debut that forecasts good things to come. ~ Charles Spano