Margot And The Nuclear So And So’s: Buzzard

Given how mediocre-to-miserable the earlier Margot And The Nuclear So And So’s albums were, it’s astonishing that the band’s fourth, Buzzard, is solid from start to finish. Shaking off the modern-rock moodiness of its first three LPs, Margot aims for the gut here, delivering squalling songs with heavy rhythms and bluesy overtones. Buzzard isn’t devoid of missteps; the band is still too in love with silly songs like “Tiny Vampire Robot” and “My Baby (Cares For The Animals),” and still reaches too often for cheap shock in songs about cheap sex. But even the goof-offs have more kick than they have in the past, as Margot And The Nuclear So And So’s play with an assuredness that renders songs more persuasive than they would be had the band leaned drippier. And when Margot lays off the stunts and just rips through ferocious, ominous songs like “Birds,” “New York City Hotel Blues,” and “Claws Off,” the slide guitars and bashing drums complement Richard Edwards’ half-yawning, half-snarling voice, creating the impression of a band ready to stop reacting and make something happen.