Civet

This California quartet treat the Ramones, the Runaways, and their forebears like piñatas: Crack 'em open and wait for the goodies to fall out. Riff rocker "Son of a Bitch" makes the best use of its titular epithet since Nazareth's cow- bell opus "Hair of the Dog," the blitzkrieg pop of "All I Want" conjures Joey Ramone at his punk-romantic best, and "Bad Luck" quaffs straight Lemmy, no chaser. Been there, done that? Well, of course: L7, the Donnas, the Distillers, and the strangely unlamented Muffs have all worked similar angles. But Hell Hath No Fury is crafty and hook-laden enough to go beyond mere tribute.

By Shannon Zimmerman