Butter Knife

Fullerton, California-based garage rockers Audacity got their start in the classic bored suburban environments that gave birth to some of the best movements in independent music. Getting in from the ground up as one of the earliest bands affiliated with the ever-expanding Burger Records label, Audacity's first recordings were more ramshackle garage affairs with elements of surfy reverb and anxious punk undercurrents. Third album Butter Knife takes their sound to new dimensions, leveling out some of the rough punk edges with extremely clever power pop melodies and sharper production that doesn't peel away too much of their signature grit. Standout tracks include "Hole in the Sky," a jumpy and restless pop tune that shifts between Weezer-esque catchiness and early-period Superchunk energy. Over the course of the album, the band skillfully manages to bounce between sneery punk blasts like "Tell Yourself" and deeply sophisticated Zombies-leaning wry pop like the beautiful album closer, "Autumn." ~ Fred Thomas