Only Rock and Roll Can Save Us Now

In keeping with the album title and garishly retro cover art, the debut of Shreveport's Tyler Read (a band, not a dude named Tyler) has an overtly '70s vibe. Not the '70s as they really were so much as the '70s in the mind of people whose primary historical texts are old episodes of That '70s Show and VH1's I Love the '70s. In other words, these songs are a poppy mishmash of old-school influences ranging from Queen's theatrical pomp to Thin Lizzy's street-kid boogie, threaded awkwardly into songs that at their root are pretty much just basic mainstream alt-rock circa 2007. The big opening riff of the title track may bring Boston to mind, but the song itself is basically a second-rate Foo Fighters cop. The better songs on Only Rock & Roll Can Save Us Now rise above the dual derivativeness at the album's heart: "Intentions" has a truly great fist-pumping chorus, and first single "Michael Jackson" features the all-important killer riff. Also, singer Josh Johnson's Everydude voice is well-suited for this brand of unpretentious rock & roll fun. Nothing special, then, but it's entertaining enough.