Slugger

Slugger is solid, melodic lo-fi pop; while frontman Rob Lohayza is certainly a product of influences, his music doesn't recall obvious candidates like Lou Barlow or Guided by Voices, but more primal inspirations -- there's a major Lou Reed fixation apparent in the dry vocals of the excellent "Who Shot Flair Harper Down?," while "Sugar" brings to mind the Pixies' Black Francis. Ultimately, listening to the record is as much about spotting Charley's influences as it is enjoying their material at face value; if they ever develop their own truly distinctive idenitity, this could definitely be a band to watch.