CHIXDIGGIT; "Born on the First of July" (Honest Don's); * * * .
THE HI-FIVES; "The Hi-Fives . . . Get Down!" ("Lookout!"); * * * * .There's nothing as hard as coming up with a debut album . . . except maybe following up a terrific debut release. Or worse, trying to top swell first and second efforts.
But two new CDs feature bands that seem to be up to the task:
- CANADIAN ACT Chixdiggit made quite a splash with its self-titled debut, a brisk, tongue-in-cheek slice of pop-punk, filled with hooks, humor and harmonies, as well as buzzsaw guitars.
Admittedly, the group's second release, "Born on the First of July," isn't quite as good, but it's still heads and shoulders above most of the punk-rock competition.
"Quit Your Job" is a speedy, spirited romp that gets over in less than one minute, "Chupacabras" pays tribute to Mexican folklore, and "My Restaurant" wisely slows down the tempo a tad. Ryan Greene's production ups the crunch quotient and downplays the melodic side, but it doesn't detract too much.
- THE HI-FIVES has already recorded two bristling examples of "beat-punk," a tantalizing combination of Beatlesque power-pop and garage-y punk-pop. But the quartet's third full-length album is even better, if that's possible.
Mixed at England's legendary Konk Studios (recording home for the Kinks), "The Hi-Fives . . . Get Down!" features the best blend of hooky songwriting and knowledgeable musicianship of any of the band's albums.
The record gets off to a fast start with "I'd Be So Pleased" and continues with a torrent of two-minute ditties (the torrid "In the Meantime, Please Don't Leave" and "She Makes Me Good"). But the band is not a one-trick pony, as evidenced by the gloriously popish "She is the One," and the surf instrumental "Black Sand Beach."
The Hi-Fives and Chixdiggit perform Nov. 27 in the Club DV8 basement, 115 S. West Temple. Showtime is 8 p.m.