Communique

So how does a Bay Area punk band transform into a retro new wave garage band? Beats the hell out of me but somehow that's exactly what Oakland's Communique did. Formerly known as American Steel, a moderately successful band that released three CDs in the late ‘90s, Communique is another in an increasingly long line of bands both good and bad that combines garage rock circa 1964, Britpop circa 1984 and the American love of nostalgia circa 2004. And like, say, the Killers and the Strokes, they do it well. This is Moog-synth pop fused with sneering punk attitude to create something fresh and fun.