Redd Kross, Howling Dogs: Roxy, Los Angeles CA

THERE MUST be hundreds of bands out there like the Howling Dogs: normal-guy foursomes who work hard and veer toward '66/77 power pop with melodic hooks. On the one hand, it's a beautiful testament of the will it takes for a couple of fellows to get up out of bed and rock against the odds. On the other hand, it's a boring, thrice-told tale that couldn't excite a gibbon that'd been exposed to enough of it. These down-to-earth Dogs play with conviction and obviously care about their music, but the plainwrap riffs tower morosely over the A+ effort.