The Brokedowns, Six Songs EP

The Six Songs EP offers another jolt of what the Brokedowns gave us on their second album, New Brains for Everyone: fast-paced, energetic, Midwestern punk rock. It was also amusing to note that the press kit for this one was exactly 4 lines that they cut out of a piece of printer paper. Punk for the oughts?

Once again, the Brokedowns present us with a bunch of catchy songs. “Git’R’Dunification,” the third song, is rightly the centerpiece here, an anthem worthy of the Clash, with a few sparingly used “aahs” to add weight to the song. An expression of punk’s ambivalence towards the world: “I wanna relearn my ABCs / I’m feeling leery of the way they were taught to me.”

“Dan Has Powers” is another catchy track, with some amusing bellowed, ’60s-style “harmony” vocals behind the chorus and a big energetic guitar riff driving the song. The song offers another distilation of punk life: “This is how we fight / Can you make that bottle hit the river tonight?” Forget about politics, there are more important things to do!

Some people have compared the band to Jawbreaker, which isn’t exactly right but is nevertheless a sign of how good this band is. It’s impressive that the Brokedowns’ songs here are better than the cover, a V. Reverse song called “Clinical Rock.” They’ve surpassed their own inspirations, which should make them feel good. Keep it up, guys — you’ve got something great here.