House of Fools

North Carolina's House of Fools have the smarts to swipe not only the cover art from classic Southern rockers, but also their epic rock god jams. This debut full-length leans heavy on '70s guitar worship and is balanced with canned applause and upbeat harmonies, resulting in ironic power pop with the dramatic oomph of Queen. This works best on the synth-meets-ska horns of "Kiss the Haze" and the easy sincerity that glides through "Better Part of Me." Just be careful in your dosage, as an entire album's worth of enthusiastic mock-adoration only leads to a tragic chord-progression overdose.