The Makers

About once a decade garage rock gets revived, and in the '90s, the Makers were supposed to be the breakout band that would move on to the majors. While other, superior, more authentic bands like Fortune & Maltese or the Swingin' Neckbreakers only got half the recognition, the Makers were usually the token garage band in your average indie-rock fan's collection. Soon they started dressing like glitter-rock pimps and discovered '70s glam rock and heavy metal.

But then, the Makers were dealt the worst blow of all: the 2000s. Out came the Strokes and the White Stripes, and like an 18-year-old who's been flunked back to ninth grade too many times, the Makers were left playing the same rock dives while Jack White got movie deals.

We'd normally root for the underdog in a case like this, but anyone who ever saw lead singer Mike Maker flaunt his rock star attitude in person could have predicted his band's slide. Its latest, Everybody Rise!, still finds them in glam-rock mode. To their credit, the Makers actually have good ideas, but the hamfisted execution sinks the whole project. At least once, they get it right, on the fine bubblegum ballad "Run With Me Tonight," with chord changes worthy of Redd Kross. Elsewhere, the guys are trying hard: the fake Kiss moves on "Tiger of the Night," the singalong "ba-ba-ba" chorus on "The Story of You & I," the horrendous Marc Bolan imitation on "Ordinary Human Love."

Everybody Rise! sounds no better or worse than anything currently on Q101's playlist. This must be the umpteenth album by any modern rock band that starts off with feedback—and that cliché just doesn't cut it anymore.—James Porter

The Makers play Subterranean Friday 9.