SXSW Records

The Black Halos

The Violent Years (Sub Pop)

With one eye on the morbid romanticism of afterhours degeneracy and another on coliseum-rock salvation, Vancouver's Black Halos are continually mining for the perfect anthem. They're not afraid to dredge up time-tested pop hooks in the service of something that might coalesce a disparate audience long enough to sing along in unison like a bunch of drunken footballers. In an age where the roughest-sounding thing on Top 40 radio is Blink-182, this won't be easy. The Halos' second album might not make it out of a commercial station's mail bin, but that doesn't detract from the universal dime-store witticisms underlying a song like "No Tomorrow Girls." Anyone who's ever fallen in love with the tragic rock & roll beauty queen who rebuffs everyone with a shot or a snort will find plenty of truth here. "Like chasing a sweet silhouette," sings Billy Hopeless with a Stiv Bators growl, "the closer you get, the less you understand." The Violent Years also features a couple of songs bemoaning the sad state of rock & roll, "Lost in the '90s" lashing out at the lack of reverence for Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly with all the patriotic fervor of the V.F.W. denouncing flag-burners, while "Underground" decries the state of the scene like a hawk longing for a Cold War sequel. Though the concept of punk rock nostalgia is sinfully rich with irony, adherents to the Stooges/New York Dolls/Dead Boys school will find validation and vindication by such sentiments. (Saturday, March 17, Emo's Jr., 1am)