Barfly

iTunes Editors’ Notes

Rocket from the Tombs was a legendary Cleveland rock band formed in 1974; for years it was best known through word of mouth and bootleg LPs. Featuring David Thomas and the late Peter Laughner (who together formed Pere Ubu), plus Cheetah Chrome and John Madansky (who assembled The Dead Boys), Rocket from the Tombs was a short-lived group that featured the best of both future bands. Reunion tours and official releases have since expanded its audience, but really this incarnation of the group is notable for bringing Thomas and Chrome back together. Barfly is a collection of new material that essentially sounds like early Pere Ubu, back when it had a sharper edge. Thomas is his usual quirky but incisive self on tracks like “I Sell Soul,” “Good Times Never Roll," and “Maelstrom.” Craig Bell drives many of the tunes with a melodic bass, while guitarists Chrome and Television’s Richard Lloyd are solid and punchy, if unusually subdued. It’s rewarding, however, to hear them all rock out for “Anna,” “Sister Love Train," and the remake “Love Train Express,” plus the more introspective and meandering “Romeo & Juliet.”