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NEW YORK CITY ROCK N ROLL
(Radical)
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"The bands herein come out of mighty Manhattan, not out of frat-row Williamsburg," producer Steven Blush sneers in the liner notes to this solid 22-track compilation of NYC sleaze. That means no Strokes clones — everyone on this album likes the New York Dolls more than the Velvet Underground, and the favored hangout is Don Hill’s, a seedy club located at the foot of the Holland Tunnel. Bad girls are the life of the party: Slunt frontwoman (and erstwhile VH1 personality) Abby Gennet steals your money and cranks up the boogie on "The Best Thing"; Gina from Bantam takes the grimy punk of her other band, Lunachicks, in artier directions on "The Car." The catchiest song is Pretty Suicide’s "Should’ve Said Goodbye," a perky kiss-off that rocks like Letters to Cleo on a Mötley Crüe kick. Dirty Mary get the most laughs with "Drinkin & Drivin," which imagines Rudy Giuliani sitting at the wheel with a flask in his hand. Supervillain and the Nolan Gate add metal to the mix, bringing the album to a close with a high-testosterone flourish. (The New York City Rock n Roll Tour features performances by Slunt, Bantam, and Pretty Suicide this Friday, February 20, at Bill’s Bar; call 617-421-9678.)
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