No, seriously, they really mean space punk: according to their official bio, the Frontier Brothers were “born in space and raised in Texas,” and the band members – who dress in red Spandex bodysuits on stage, by the way – are led by a singer named Marshall Galactic, whose voice could occasionally be described as otherworldly. (It could just as often be described as sounding like a bag of cats in a dryer, but nobody’s perfect.) Anyway, if you’ve ever wanted to know what space punk sounds like, this is your chance – and you should think twice about passing up that chance, really, especially if you have a fondness for ragged, impassioned, tongue-in-cheek rock & roll. For the duration of Space Punk Starlet, the Frontier Brothers sound like a band on the verge of falling apart, but they also sound like they’re having a blast, and their enthusiasm is infectious – in fact, the record is so much fun that you can’t help but wish they hadn’t bothered with the dopey gimmicks, and just trusted the music to do the talking. That’s just quibbling, though; by the time the band goes roaring into the madcap closer, “T.E.S.S. You Are a Wonderful Robot, Stay With Me All the Time,” you’ll be too far gone to care. Space Punk Starlet is a sweaty mess, in the absolute best sense of the word. (self-released)
