Starcrawler

Starcrawler’s key reference points—The Stooges, Black Sabbath, Sex Pistols, T. Rex—are all old enough to be their grandparents. However, the L.A. quartet attack their swaggering, Ryan Adams-produced songs with such conviction and vitality that they always sound bracingly fresh. With jagged riffs and a pneumatic beat that carries the track to completion in under 90 seconds, opener “Train” is a thrilling statement of intent, while “I Love LA” and “Let Her Be” demonstrate the value of packing a robust tune beneath the noise and posturing.