Louis XIV

While Jason Hill's leering-stalker routine may be a truer reflection of male sexuality than the typical smooth playboy act, that doesn't mean it makes for satisfying rock 'n' roll. Even the Louis XIV singer's most obvious influence, T. Rex's Marc Bolan, was not just some solitary rake, but the toastmaster of his own mystical swingers' club. It hardly bodes well that Hill comes closest to breaking character with over-the-top violence ("I'll tease you with my knife until you're screaming for your life"), but his San Diego-based quartet offers musically (if not socially) redeeming value. In the current (and possibly permanent) climate of runaway nostalgia, few bands take such thoroughly textured snapshots of bygone sounds -- mainly glitter/glam, with shreds of punk and Kinks and Lennon tossed in. For that scratchy '70s vibe, Louis XIV has an undeniable knack, but alas, also the thematic range of The Knack.