Tentatively returning toward
punk
, or at least
new wave
,
the Ramones
turned in their most enjoyable record since
Rocket to Russia
with
Subterranean Jungle
. Producers
Ritchie Cordell
and
Glen Kolotkin
were the heads of the edgy
power pop
label
Bomp!
, so they steered
back toward the '60s
pop
infatuation that provided the foundation for their early records. It's a strategy that pays off well -- for the most part, the group's originals are so punchy and catchy that they make the pair of covers superfluous. Comprised of a set of unabashedly hook-laden songs and driven by more subtle rhythms,
may not be a
record in the strictest sense of the word, yet
haven't sounded quite as alive in a long, long while. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine