The Boss Martians

Being pimped by Little Steven and talked up by Bruce Springsteen is no easy feat. But both happened to Seattle's Boss Martians last summer at Little Steven's International Underground Garage Fest. The irony? The Martians' music isn't even garage rock. In fact, it's something way greater: power pop in its purest form, a blood-rushing yet sophisticated fusion of rock torque and glycemic harmony that draws equally from the Jam, Supergrass and Dream Police-era Cheap Trick. Leader Evan Foster and crew haven't always had such a sweet tooth, though. The group's early efforts, starting with its self-titled debut in 1995, sported a generically vintage surf-and-hot-rod motif. The Set-Up, from 2004, was Foster's songwriting breakthrough, an anthemic blast of harmony and hooks; The London Bridge Demosfollowed last year, and a new full-length is on the way -- and it'll surely leave the Martians' garage-rock past even further in the dust. Just don't tell Little Steven.