Look at Me I'm Cool!!!, the band's debut, maintains the raw energy of a live set, jumping authoritatively from rockabilly rave-ups ("The Leaving Kind") and surf instrumentals ("Surf the Wild Gowanus") to punky trash ("Drag Blob") and raucous, bluesy stomps (the title track.) Chardiet makes this slightly schizoid stew into something cohesive, with a voice that balances punkish aggression and soulful sweetness, and a guitar mastery that encompasses the jazzy flights of "Speed, Weed & Whiskey," the Billy Gibbons-ish string bending of "Dirty Mean," and the knotty acoustic picking of the instrumental closer, "The Drunken Hiccups."

-- Chris Erikson