Mando Diao
Hurricane Bar
(Mute)
released: March 8
rating: ***1/2

Right now, Mando Diao (maybe one day I'll know how to pronounce this) is probably the biggest and best rock 'n' roll band from Sweden that you haven't heard of yet. Probably. But just you wait, cause I'm sure you'll hear one of their songs in a commercial for Old Navy or iPod or something. Produced by Richard Rainey (who worked on U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind, thanks a lot! that record is awful!), Hurricane Bar surprisingly outdoes the band's debut Bring 'Em In, in terms of energy and songwriting. It's pure rock 'n' roll, with nods to garage and mod-punk. Somehow, Mando Diao pulls off youthful showmanship like "God Knows" and "This Dream is Over" with ease, and you forget that these guys are totally arrogant. -- Kenyon Hopkin

styles: Garage Rock, Rock & Roll
similar: The Jam, The Hives, Mooney Suzuki, The Libertines