Pretty Good Racket

More Needful Things [EP]

World Racketeering Squad

Although the chord changes are simple and the drums and bass rudimentary, there's a ton of smarts and wit distributed across this EP's three songs. "Panic" has an obvious Buzzocks/Ramones guitar riff and beat, but the fake British singing and stealth country lead guitar make it infectious and original. Then World Racketeering Squad go on to do entirely different things on the next two tracks.

"Needful Things" has a hilarious, and awesome, recorder overdub. The darker "Electromagnetic Pulse" explores later and slower influences, but with a repeating background vocal that adds a light side and gives the song a subversively catchy element.

Jangling Manchester guitars, punk power chords, and "ba da ba" choruses have been combined before, but not usually with this witty and irreverent a touch. Really digging it.