The Cynz

Little Miss Lost

Jem Records

They don’t make them like this anymore, at least not above ground. It's an out and out rocker, punk rock, which used to be the gold standard for good rock, and now it’s underground and overlooked, and shouldn’t be. It’s too great for that.

These are songs of hard luck and hard times, sung matter-of-factly by Cyndi Dawson, who is a wonderful singer. It’s so lame that such singing is out of style. It shouldn’t be. This is singing for real, with no effects, with grit and soul.

The guitars are cranked up to eleven, by players who know their stuff, like the quote from “Eight Miles High” on the album opener, “Break Me,” or the sitar on “The Only One,” and on their glorious take on Holly And the Italians’ “Tell That Girl To Shut Up.” On “Narrow Hips” Cyndi reveals what she looks for in a guy.

In a better world these songs would be a smash hits, top of the charts, and it’s grating that it won’t be the case. This is one of the best albums this year and deserves every accolade thrown at it. Make this album an aboveground success and use it to kick the indie rock lamestream in the teeth. Show them what real punk rock sounds like and start a new punk rock revolution!

Andrea Weiss