Record Label: S/R
Genre: Bar Rock
Band Link: link
Buy on Amazon.com link

I like Sunspot’s name because it sounds like a cool superhero name. If there was a Sunspot superhero, I bet he’d hang out with Speedball. They wouldn’t fight crime so much as live together and make macaroni. It would be awesome.

Anyway, although this band claims to be “geek rock” in vein of Weezer and All-American Rejects, I heard absolutely none of that and found them influenced most obviously by Cheap Trick. They play a similar midtempo almost-punky bar rock, and the singer belts it out like he’s fronting an arena rock band. Disconcertingly, he sounds a little like Paul Stanley. Jury’s still out if that’s cool or not.

The songwriting is pretty good and guitar solos make me happy, but essentially this is a mulleted throwback that will find its fans at New Jersey dive bars, not punk shows.

Bottom Line: Geeky, but not geek rock.
Notable Tracks: Neanderthal, Power Word Kill, Morgan le Fay
Overall Rating: