The Megaphonic Thrift has roots in several Norwegian indie rock bands, but on the quartet’s self-titled second record, it’s clearly right here and right now that matters. There’s not much innovation going on – the band’s blend of anthemic melodies and amp-frying guitar noise is a familiar one. But the Thrift knows how to write substantial tunes, and then attack them with the fervor of teenagers plugging into the amps for the first time. The band sounds both comfortable and eager on the widescreen pop tunes “Moonstruck” and “Swan Song” and the Sonic Youth-channeling “The Guillotine,” and finds time for some gentle psychedelia on the appropriately-titled “Spaced Out.” The Thrift is at its best, however, when it simply rocks out, thrashing the catchy melodies of “Broken Glass/Yellow Fingers,” “Kill, Breathe and Frown” and “Raising Flags” with enough feedback-soaked skronk to fracture your headphones. If superbly-crafted noise pop is your poison (think: Polara, Th’ Faith Healers, Ringo Deathstarr), you need a draught of the Megaphonic Thrift.
