39 Minutes of Bliss (In an Otherwise Meaningless World)

Rock may have been born in America, but a national obsession with the trendy has often begat cultural amnesia when it comes to musical roots. Hence offshore bands like the Vines and Hives recycle '90s grunge/punk and '80s new wave with newfound energy, sometimes finding themselves ironically hailed as rock saviors. Sweden's Caesars don't have salvation on their minds. In fact their '60s garage rock shtick seems doubly recycled, seven of the dozen songs here hailing from a previous 1998 incarnation. Which isn't to say they don't do spiritual forebears like the Swingin' Medallions and ? & the Mysterians proud. Powered by pumping Farfisa-clone organ, trashy guitars, and a suitably snotty vocal attitude, they careen amiably through a sharp cover of the Endd's "Out of My Hands" and originals that range from spunky ("Jerk It Out," "Sort It Out," "You're My Favorite") to spooky ("Suzy Creamcheese"). If there's irony at work here (other than a contemporary Swedish band evoking the spirit of '60s American garage punk and '80s UK new wave, that is) the Caesar's have largely buried it in an avalanche of infectious spirit. --Jerry McCulley