* En anglais uniquement
Cheeseburger is gamely attempting to do for
the Stooges what
the Darkness did for
Queen and what
Redd Kross did for '60s bubblegum: updating the music with efficient hooks, snarky punk attitude, and a knack for visual jokes. The Brooklyn-based trio of singer
Joe Bradley, guitarist
Christy Karacas, and drummer
Luke Crotty update
the Stooges' proto-punk yowl for the post-
White Stripes generation, with
Bradley's spot-on
Iggy Pop impersonation both the group's most notable feature and its biggest millstone.
Cheeseburger debuted with a self-titled EP in 2002, followed by the sharp, focused EP
Gang's All Here in 2005. (Although the EP continues its fascination with
Stooges-style aggression and
New York Dolls raunch, the cover art is a note-perfect, deadpan parody of the sleeve of
Harry Nilsson's cracked '70s soft rock masterpiece
Nilsson Schmilsson, with
Bradley in the iconic open fridge and bathrobe shot.) The second EP was released by the New York garage punk label Kemado Records, which followed it with 2006's Cheeseburger, a full-length album that reprised many of the songs from the first two EPs. ~ Stewart Mason