Forever: Forever

Portland, Oregon’s Forever only have about 15 to 20 minutes to get their Pretenders-meets-Stray Cats rock sound across. With a hint of roots to boot, the band kick the six-song effort off with “Oh Distant Heart” which sounds like Neko Case leading the New Pornographers to a Southern roadhouse. And from there, the band ups the ante in quality with the rather garage-y, lo-fi “Something’s Missing” resembling new rockabilly at its finest. Meanwhile, when Forever hit the ground running on “You Don’t Care”, they sound like the real deal. However, “Tumbleweed” sounds like its rolling away from the band, with short choppy riffs that don’t seem to gel. Toss in the closing “Psychic Resistance” that eerily resembles Ms. Case and the Sadies, and you have a decent but hardly dazzling disc.