Convicts

From the Easybeats to AC/DC, Australian rock has held fast to a rowdy streak that ensures that musical mayhem is never far. You Am I is very much in this tradition, a band whose penchant for three-minutes-and-change bursts of catchy high energy has made the group bestsellers at home while relegating its overseas following to the small indie club circuit in the U.S. *Convicts*, its eighth album, finds You Am I making another stab at breaking America with barely updated ’70s-style kickers that recall early Who and Replacements. Tim Rogers’ sharply amusing, painful lyrics seal the deal, as he twists an old Cliff Richard hit into “It Ain’t Funny How We Don’t Talk Anymore” and breathes a relieved sigh: “Thank God I’ve Hit the Bottom.” Finally, the change-of-pace ballads don’t outdo the hardest of the rockers, but they do demonstrate that You Am I command more than one trick.

"Loud, smart and profane all at once, Convicts has a desperate, hungry edge that'll make you wonder how the band has survived for 17 years - and why you haven't heard them more." - USA TODAY "...an invigorating slop-rock attack with ace melodies: 'Gunslingers' sounds like some lost pop-rock gem from 1973." - ROLLING STONE You Am I are bonafide stars in their native Australia where, since 1992, the band has set a record for three consecutive straight-in-at-No. 1 albums, bagged seven ARIAS, picked up some heavyweight admirers/touring partners (Oasis, Soundgarden, Sonic Youth), and been asked to gig with the likes of The Who and The Rolling Stones. Their newest album, Convicts -- the first on US label Yep Roc Records -- is proof why they're stars Down Under. From the feedback-strewn opening punch of "Thank God I've Hit the Bottom" to the immediacy of insta-hits like "Friends Like You" and "It Ain't Funny How We Don't Talk Any More," Convicts is a lean rock'n'roll machine that has You Am I poised to make an even larger impression than ever overseas.

Veteran Australian quartet You Am I plays a distinctive brand of noisy, backbeat-happy rock that isn't quite garage, punk, or power-pop. It's in that nebulous region between New York Dolls and Dwight Twilley: too loud and rowdy to win over the hooks-and-polish crowd, too subtle for the bash-'til-it-bleeds-set. Like…

Even 14 years into its existence, You Am I is capable of some surprises, but most impressive is how much they sound like edgy guys in their early twenties who love and live for rock & roll.

It’s safe to say that You Am I captures a good cross-section of their talents on Convicts.

Regardless what you think of his songwriting talents, Tim Rogers is a true rock star -- the real deal.