The Royale Brothers

It's pretty hard to describe a Royale Brothers show — but some absinthe-fueled fever-dream, in which Bo Diddley, the New York Dolls and the Misfits all cavort and caper through a Dia de los Muertos street festival, comes pretty close. The thing about bands this raw and great in performance is that they can rarely capture that sound and energy on a recording. Which is one reason this debut, seven-song disc by New London's Royale Brothers is extra great: not only do the tunes steamroll exuberantly, managing to incorporate all of the live attitude of their concerts, but the songs themselves just flat-out nestle in your brain.



— Rick Koster-the day