In the past few years, dozens of bands have sprung up to celebrate low-fidelity garage rock, complete with extra distortion and absolutely no low end. For some, it's a sign of their means -- of recording with whatever they could get their hands on and turning a weakness into a strength. But for California's Wavves, the utter lack of fidelity couldn't have been more intentional: Singles like "So Bored" mined power from primitivism, but there was no hiding frontman Nathan Williams' talent for writing visceral anthems.
Williams' music has caught plenty of attention, some of it fiercely negative, but "Take on the World" ought to help quiet the debate -- if only because Williams gets ahead of his critics, singing, "Well, I hate my writing / It's all the same." But for all the self-loathing, there's unmistakable buoyancy to go with the bad vibes. It's still a brash little gem that pushes everything, including adversity, out of its way.
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