Best of 2009: Dan Strachota on Nodzzz

My favorite local disc of 2009 actually came out in late November 2008. But that’s not the most annoying thing about Nodzzz’s self-titled mini-LP. Rather, it’s that you can’t put any of the tracks on a mix-CD, since it’s only available on 12-inch vinyl.

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Nodzzz – “In the City (Contact High)”

But with songs as great as “Controlled Karaoke,” “I Can’t Wait,” and “In the City (Contact High),” Nodzzz can be forgiven. Besides, when was the last time a band sounded like so many other bands while still seeming totally new? Slanted and Enchanted, maybe. I hear the Knack, the Gizmos, early Joe Jackson, “Part Time Punks,” punk-era Modern Lovers, the Human Beinz’s “Nobody but Me,” and maybe even a little Dead Milkmen (although they’d probably hate that). The whole disc is snotty, catchy, and ridiculously fun — and over before you can shout “woo hoo!”

Dan Strachota is the booker for the Rickshaw Stop and a freelance journalist.