Danger Radio

New band, divergent influences, cluttered compositions; it seems the only thing about Danger Radio that isn’t terribly familiar is, well, their story. The Washington sextet began as a creative, presumably diplomatic, summit for two North Seattle outsiders (transplanted Puerto Rican vocalist Andrew van Torres and Finnish drummer Nico Hartikainen) to explore their American punk leanings. Since adding members, the palette’s expanded to include everything from Michael Jackson to Stevie Wonder. The results, not surprisingly, lack direction. And panache. And, fatally, punch. Too bad, since their earliest recordings (tracked with Casey Bates) flashed potential. Here though, even Danger Radio’s most immediate jabs — the thin strut of "Party Foul” or the noodling funk pop pastiche of the title track — only graze. And while the five songs on Punch Your Lights Out may not be enough to pass irreversible judgment on them, fact is, you only make one first impression, boys.