CD of the Day, 3/16/06: Hawaii Mud Bombers-Mondo Primo

What do you get if you cross The Ramones with The Beach Boys? I don't know, but I bet it'd sound a lot like the Hawaii Mud Bombers. Mixing surf, power pop and punk, the Bombers' 2004 release Mondo Primo is 13 tracks that will be perfect for driving around during the summer ahead. Despite their name (and their sound), the Bombers are not from Hawaii. Nor are they from California. They're actually from the balmy beaches of....Sweden.

The true highlight of Mondo Primo is "Johanna Beach". The keyboard hook that underlies this track is one of those that stick in the brain, and it's a darn near perfect power pop tune. No doubt you've heard it if you've ever listened to Little Steven's (Van Zandt) Underground Garage on Sirius Satellite Radio, as it's been a staple there since I first heard it in the fall of 2004. In fact, it's so good it's one of the 300 or so all-time favorites I just put on a 1GB mini-SD card to go in my new toy. And here it is to download:

Johanna Beach

And you can watch the video for it here. There are some other great tracks on this album, including "The Act", "MTV" and "Mr. Menage a Trois". There are some more mp3s available from the album at their site, and if you prefer streaming, head on over to their myspace page (and be their friend for pete's sake, they only have 11). If you like what you hear, buy it at Not Lame.