The Nomads - Up-Tight (2001)

Not to be confused with the '60s psychedelic group from Texas or the world music purveyors who put out Better World in 1999, these Nomads are the Swedish garage gang. Up-Tight, which was recorded only a few months before the band played its 20th anniversary show, is a lot more back to the basics for the group. The spunky punk is as catchy and enthusiastically delivered as it is simple this time out, but there's no need to reinvent the wheel when the old one is still rolling quite nicely, thank you very much. It's nice to see not only where the Hives, Hellacopters, and other latter-day Scandinavian rockers got their inspiration, but that the Nomads can still hold their own with the whippersnappers. Collectors take note: The only difference between the White Jazz import and the Sympathy for the Record Industry version is a slightly different cover.