Judging by the first track, “World Can’t Have Her,” a new listener might think this longtime Cleveland rock band is the reincarnated MC5, howling and blasting out speakers. Start instead with “Wildweed,” and it clicks: It’s actually a fun, clever, power-pop album. “Riot in the Foodcourt” clashes a retro chorus against Iggy Pop-ish terrorize-the-suburbs outbursts: “Call the police! Strippers on drugs at the KFC!” But lead vocalist John Petkovic (a Plain Dealer reporter in the daytime hours) isn’t making a show of gender-bending kinkiness. Instead, he shows off his inner Kink in songs like “Home in the Highrise.” No wonder Cobra Verde is popular with movie-soundtrack compilers: They can drop hints of Cure-esque indie rock then slide into bar-crawl/spoken-word cool with “Wasted Again.”
Our Pick: “Run Away”
