Album of the Day

From the opening notes of “Bittersweet,” it's clear the Hoodoo Gurus have upped their game on MARS NEEDS GUITARS. The Sydney quartet's second album has the retro-'60s orientation of their debut, but with a more polished, mature sound that suits these 10 originals well. “Death Defying,” “Poison Pen” and surf-tinged “”Like Wow – Wipeout” were additional Australian singles from the pen of frontman Dave Faulkner, but several other tracks on this consistently engaging set could have also made the cut, pairing clever lyrics with power-pop/garage-rock punch. The 1985 collection made the lower rungs of the Billboard chart, and exposure on college radio and MTV gave the Gurus a foothold in America that lasted through the end of the decade. But the appeal of this outstanding album transcends both its time and geographic origins – MARS NEEDS GUITARS, and so do you