Lee handles lead vocals and guitar, while her band primarily features Mario Quezada on bass, Ellis Frawley on drums and the U.S.-born Mark Lewis on guitar. Collectively, to borrow from the Blake Babies again, they make a fire in a quiet sky. Anyway, theirs is the kind of music that will cause you to bounce about or, if you’re in the car, drive fast—except when they veer into Mazzy Star territory, such as the closing “Swirl in the Haze.” “Perry,” another standout track, was inspired by one of the protagonists in Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood; it features a way-cool nod to the Kinks. It helps, I’m sure, that all but one song is in English; only “Absolut,” which sounds like a long-lost New Wave treasure, is in German. If this had been released in any other month than December, it would likely be a slam-dunk for my Top 20 (though God knows what I would have dumped). The way the guitars grind to a high in “Cheap Wine,” in which Lee—talking to herself, I think—reminds herself that she’s not too old for a streak in her hair says it all. Growing old sucks, but growing old without new music sucks all the more. As such, give this one a go. It’s raw, ragged and raucous, the kind of thing that will add zest to your step. -- THE OLD GREY CAT