The full-length debut by Detroit indie rockers
Crackjaw is, like many third-wave emo bands, pleasant but inconsequential. The band's press kit and Myspace page claim influences ranging from
Mötley Crüe to
Rush, but in point of fact, the young quartet sound pretty much exactly like any number of other faceless emo bands that have followed
Jimmy Eat World and
the Get Up Kids into existence. There are a couple of nice tunes on
Giants From the Stereo, particularly the first single "The King's Inn," which makes good use of start-stop dynamics and has the album's most memorable chorus. Overall, however, the album's best feature is the sleeve, which combines a great vintage typeface, a Jasper Johns-meets-circus-poster design feel, and a smokin' hot picture of the young
Liz Taylor. That level of inspiration, sadly, isn't found in the music itself.