Chicago's The Embryos make classic power pop. The music of the group is timeless, drawing as much from The Rubinoos, The Smithereens, and Gin Blossoms in such a way as to suggest if not something entirely modern, at least something that's not tied down to just one era. The group's latest album, Open The Kimono, has recently been reissued with a few bonus tracks and it's a really good, really fun record.
If opener "Circleville" is crunchy pop in debt to the late Pat DiNizio and crew, for example, "Wake Up Screaming" is an instant classic. A bright slab of rock, the tune, like "Hostages of the Orb", echoes in all the right ways the sort of thing we used to routinely hear from bands like The Plimsouls and The Nerves. Elsewhere, "Black Balloons" is elegant, a distant cousin in style and tone to "This is Why" by Jellyfish, while "Bad Old Days" is even better, despite a chord change or two that sound suspiciously like those of Chris Bell's "You and Your Sister" amped up a bit. Still, a band like The Embryos are naturally making music designed to sound like the greats of the past. And, given how consistent Open the Kimono is, let's be thankful that the music here is also remarkably distinctive.
Open the Kimono is out now via the link below.
More details on The Embryos via the band's official Facebook page.
[Photo: The Embryos Facebook page]