Blood//Sugar//Secs//Traffic

Rock music is a junk shop of swapped and bashed genres—country, blues, R&B, etc.—and ripped-off riffs. Look at the Stones, for one, who borrowed liberally from everyone from Chuck Berry to Muddy Waters. To deny it is to deny the very identity of rock ’n’ roll. It’s in this manner that The Gotobeds influences are easy to spot on the surface. On Blood//Sugar//Secs//Traffic, one will hear equal parts Wire, Swell Maps and the charismatic swagger of Pavement. Where this band diverges from history books and writes its own chapter is in its exuberant, smart-ass energy (album title cop noted!) that shows the Gotobeds as more interested in a good time than necessarily changing the world. “Cold Gold (LA’s Alright)” is a signature moment for the band with its ramshackle, careening swing and “bop-bop” chorus dig. It moves like great music should, making the moment you’re in a bit better for listening to it.