A boy/girl garage-rock duo from the U.K., Little Fish somehow found themselves recording their debut in Los Angeles with Linda Perry, who made her fortune writing songs for the likes of Pink, Christina Aguilera, and Gwen Stefani.
The result is Baffled and Beat, a slickly produced, no-nonsense punk-rock album. Much of the LP is unashamedly derivative: the scuzzy riff of "Darling Dear" is a watered-down steal from the Velvet Underground's "I'm Waiting for the Man," while singer Juju has a perfect PJ Harvey howl. The sleazy atmosphere sounds a little bit forced-the band is, after all, from Oxford, England, not 1970s New York-and lyrics like "Get me a gun/Let me die young" make Lou Reed sound like Tolstoy. But if you're a fan of straightforward, predictable rock, this is the band for you.