Mindless Self Indulgence

To listeners over the age of sixteen, Mindless Self-Indulgence's Ritalin-defying electro-rock freakshow (charmingly self-described as "electro jungle pussy punk") may seem a bit much to handle at first. But upon repeated spins it becomes apparent that underneath the Hot Topic garb and gross-out lyrics, there's a biting satirical wit (see a double-time cover of Rush's "Tom Sawyer" for reference) and surprisingly well-crafted songwriting, especially for a band that notoriously created the beats for their second record on an Atari computer. MSI packs more hooks into the average two-minute song than most bands can fit on a whole album, and the impressive falsetto range and rhythmic delivery of manic frontman Jimmy Urine (née Euringer) are enough to make Serj Tankian cry in his hummus. Superfun Yeah Yeah Rocketship opens.