The Turbo A.C.s

The music of the Turbo A.C.s isn't nearly as varied as the crowd around them. Named after a fictitious skinhead gang from the gangland movie The Warriors, the N.Y.C. trio is equally indebted to surf guitarist Dick Dale and roots punkers Social Distortion. Blag Dahlia, the twisted and blood-splattered Dwarves singer, produced their new album, Automatic. Billy Milano, the chronically politically incorrect S.O.D./ M.O.D. mouthpiece, mixed it. Gearhead Records, the garage wellspring and home to acts that include Sweden's Hives, released the CD version of the album (Germany's Blitzcore offers the vinyl LP).

Founded in 1996, the A.C.s have the heft and experience to distance themselves from the garage movement. On Automatic, their fourth album, a movie sound bite ends "Substance" and introduces the next song with a speaker suggesting the indiscriminate and complete annihilation of an unspecified group. The accompanying lyrics suggest that the reference is directed toward bands who live unexamined lives and have extended that approach to their art. To the A.C.s, it's no less than the "Way of the Devil": "If poison goes undetected/Everybody gets infected/Don't you know we have substance/Straight up, uncut/You suck." The Turbo A.C.s are driving a '66 Charger down the road to salvation.