Don't let the frantic bash-and-crash opening of "California Sun," the first cut on
the Makes Nice's debut album fool you -- for all their outward scruffiness, these guys are popmeisters of the first order, and by the time the third track, "Enough Is Enough," has rolled around, they've pulled out their prettiest harmonies, and the title cut suggests what you'd get if you fused
the Raspberries with
the Who and transplanted their souls into three dudes jamming in a California garage. Josh Smith's melodic but elemental guitar runs definitely carry their share of rock & roll weight but don't overpower the hooks along the way, while drummer Jack Matthew and bassist Aaron Burnham fuse slightly teenage energy with a sense of musical discipline that never gets in the way of the fun. Cranking through 13 songs in less than 32 minutes,
the Makes Nice clearly believe in the virtues of short and sweet, and can bring just enough smirk and swagger to keep things from getting too sweet (cue up "November Girls" or "Cop Killer" for evidence). The Makes Nice play forceful pop music with a punk rocker's lack of pretension, and
Candy Wrapper & Twelve Other Songs is a debut that leaves the listener wanting more; let's hope they have another half-hour this impressive in them a year or so down the road. ~ Mark Deming