Polysics

We Ate The Machine

[4/5]

Polysics’ synth-driven punk sticks out from the MySpace label roster like an autopsy photo shoved into a random issue of Nickelodeon magazine. The long-running Japanese outfit led by Hiroyuki Hayashi haven’t strayed from their excited pop leanings, though: We Ate The Machine is loaded with catchy hooks, frantic synthesizer pulses and charging guitars capable of uniting indie snobs and punk purists in a sweaty détente. The choppy “Pretty Good” takes cues from XTC’s jagged White Music era while abusing synths and six-strings for maximum propulsion. “Rocket” is a fabulous theme in search of a Saturday morning cartoon, and the rollicking “DNA Junction” features cats rolling around on a piano keyboard. If you ever wondered what it would be like to be in the recent Speed Racer movie, rub your eyes really hard while blasting We Ate The Machine. See? Don’t those patterns look pretty? (MYSPACE) Jason Pettigrew