the answering machine

In this accelerated culture of ours, even five-year-olds can bear offspring, as the debut single from Manchester trio the Answering Machine gloriously and derivatively makes clear. The Answering Machine are little more than the children of the Strokes, their guitar strums staccato and swift; rhythms bouncy and winking; and bass lines carefully mimicking these two songs’ joyous melodies. But even in derivation, there is life: frontman Martin Colclough’s vocals are ecstatic and playful, his howling of “OoooooklahoooooOOOmaaaa” in the A-side infectious and effervescent (as is that classic Buzzcocky chorus), and his belting of “I was lying just to stay at your PLACE!” in the B-side cutely bratty. I’ve been hooked on both songs for months now, and you can listen to both on their MySpace. For anyone who likes pop-punk, indie rock or anything of that ilk, though, you should just drop the two DLs.