*** Satisfact

THE UNWANTED SOUNDS OF SATISFACT

(Up!)

Now that Rhino has completed its 15-volume retrospective of the new-wave hits that ruled the airwaves and, don't forget, a healthy segment of the underground last decade (Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s), it's time for some revival action. After all, the young rebels who quietly sneaked off to their bedrooms for a dose of the Psychedelic Furs' "Into You like a Train" instead of banging their heads to Ozzy's "Crazy Train" are finally old enough to pay belated tribute to the songs that inspired those formative years. And Satisfact, a foursome from indie rock's fiercest stronghold -- Olympia, Washington -- are here to lead the way.

"This is so '80s," was my wife's reaction to the first track on The Unwanted Sounds of Satisfact. Yeah, the combination of Chad States's glacial synth tones and Matt Steinke's monochromatic ghost-in-the-machine vocals does bring to mind the mad science of Thomas Dolby, the space glide of A Flock of Seagulls, and the automated sheen of Gary Numan. (The melody of "Unswitched," not to mention the gloomy sentiment, borrows from Joy Division's "She's Lost Control.") But Satisfact's punchy rhythm section (drummer Jeremiah Green and bassist Josh Warren) and the occasional squalls of feedback Steinke teases from his churning guitar defy the slick precision that dominated this music in the '80s. Stripped of its pretensions and injected with a little garage-rock spirit, the new wave of a decade ago might have been a lot more fun -- at least that's how Satisfact seem to see it.

-- Matt Ashare

(Satisfact open for Dub Narcotic Sound System this Monday, September 30, at the Middle East.)