Love as Laughter Destination 2000 (Sub Pop)

Love as Laughter

Destination 2000 (Sub Pop)

Absolutely lousy with classic punk guitar grinds, bone-crunching drums, and snottier-than-thou vocals, Love as Laughter's Destination 2000 spares no noise in establishing the new standard for smart and hard-assed garage rock. LAL's ever-changing lineup, under the guidance of former Lync singer-guitarist Sam Jayne, has built their penchant for aggressive and irreverent pop songs into fine form, especially during the unapologetically silly "Margarita" and "Stay Out of Jail," which brings PiL-era John Lydon to mind. There's so much behind the posturing, the group gets away with the classic rock feel of "On the Run" and the pointlessness of the title track's ending. Once this album's got you, it doesn't let go either, hanging on to every thread of noise and energy with the ferocity of a jaw-locked pit bull. Destination's strength is in the songs, smartly played-out pop tunes that propel the playing as much as they are propelled by it. Best of all, the tongue-in-cheekiness never turns to novelty, or even to cuteness, keeping Destination 2000 on the level of a great rock album. (Friday, Emo's Jr., 1am)