Missile Command: Sexy, Sexy Confidence

Missile Command

Sexy, Sexy Confidence (Bankshot)

Is there anything that Jerm "Wonderboy" Pollett can't do? From his mid-Eighties arrival in Austin with Bronx hip-hoppers Brother's Cup to his work with longtime buddy Timothy "Speed" Levitch (of The Cruise fame), Pollett has covered most of the musical bases and still found time for acoustic one-offs at Ruta Maya and other venues, all while keeping his rosy emo-core outlook intact. Sexy, Sexy Confidence flat out rocks, mixing elements of tuneful, hook-laden pop-punk with ska and even bits that recall the heyday of SoCal outfits like Social Distortion and Mad Parade (notable on tracks like "Victory at Sea" and the righteous opener, "Muzzo"). Pollett's no Mike Ness, though, as this one's less about cars and scars than it is about the personalities and happenings that dot the landscape of Pollett's admittedly fertile mind. "Non-Driving Motherfucker" sounds as if it were produced by Inner Ear's Don Zientara as Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto looked on, while the punk-ska fusion of "Fuentes" grabs you like ... early NOFX!? Hey, why not? S&M Airlines was a great album. Pollett doesn't stiff us on the rhythm section either; both bassman Rory Phillips and drummer Kelly Kusumoto are top notch here, thundering along behind Pollett's smooth, sing-along grooves. This is some of the best stuff since Operation Ivy hung it up and Green Day was "2,000 Light Years Away" from FM radio.