Big-5 : Visitors

Sometimes it's hard to imagine what rock & roll must be like in New York City with three-quarters of the Ramones passed on and CBGB's just a memory, but the first album from the Visitors suggests some things never change in the City That Never Sleeps — there are still old-school punk bands belting out two-and-a-half minute tunes about girls, hanging out and various stuff that bugs them over chugging guitar riffs and no-frills melodic hooks, and the Visitors are one such combo. While first-era Gotham noisemakers the Ramones, the Dead Boys and the Heartbreakers are obvious points of inspiration, the Visitors manage to put the collected parts together in a way that gives them a personality of their own, and they have the snazz to pull it off. Bradley's chunky meat-and-potatoes guitar runs get the job done with style and swagger, bassist Brian offers high-attitude vocals while holding down the bottom end, and Danny's breakneck drumming is solid while keeping up with the amplified chaos surrounding him. Fold in songs like "Clean and Civilized," "I Don't Belong," "Don't Wait for Me" and "TV Blues" that cover contemporary urban life with street smarts and plenty of piss and vinegar, and you get a half-hour of high quality rock & roll that not only honors its influences but makes some serious noise of its own. And the Visitors even score additional cool points with a righteous cover of Roky Erickson's "I Walked with a Zombie" — folks, stuff like this is why New York is still the Greatest City In The World. Give it a spin.