In this barren musical wasteland of conveyor-belt acts that is all but completely devoid of anything even resembling Rock ‘n’ Roll, I’ve become so uninterested in what the pop charts have to offer that I never even considered the wildly nostalgic potential pull of a band that is willing to revisit the grunge rock era. And then I heard this week’s video clip, which is “Company Man” from New Jersey power-rock trio, Cyclone Static. And this was a reminder to me to never, ever underestimate the pure joy that comes from music that does not sound like it came from a can. Cyclone Static are not magical Wizards. They are not from Outer Space. They are simply three guys who love music, and it shows.

Cyclone Static manage to make it look easy as they harness the grunge rock power of both Alice in Chains, owing to vocalist/guitarist James Salerno’s ability to channel the late, great Layne Staley, and Nirvana. “Company Man” shows off this band’s melodic-punk prowess in a song armed with sharp power-pop hooks galore, anchored by Salerno’s buzzsaw guitar, bassist Danny Patierno fiercely holding down the bottom end, and hard-hitting drummer Jonathan LeVine who is, as they say, ‘in the pocket’ at all times. Rock Lives!

Visually, “Company Man” delivers vibrant, clip-art based animation informed by today’s street art sensibitlies with a deep bow to surrealism and comic book art. Perhaps LeVine’s background as a respected NYC Gallerist had something to do with that. “Company Man” can be found on Cyclone Static’s upcoming debut album, From Scratch, due out on February 8th, 2019 via 400 Mint Records. You can order your copy now at This Link! Enjoy!