The Teeth

Rabid packs of fans flail about, nearly soiling themselves, when the Teeth perform—aside from the band's truculent live set, the audience is a show in itself. Philadelphia's Teeth count twin brothers in its chemical makeup, and the four-piece have noticeably honed their shambolic, chaotic rock with doo-wop backups and scorching lead riffs since 2005's Carry the Wood. While Carry—a valuable building block for Park the Van Records (The Capitol Years, Dr. Dog)—packs memorable shout-along hooks and recurring quirks, You're My Lover Now captures a grown-up band, administering vivid characterizations in each curious moment. Singer/guitarist Aaron Modavis paints post-holiday doldrums in "A Fight in the Dark" with wearily delivered prose, and the assessment grows gloomier when strings and organ float on in. Its augmentation intact, "Fight" still feels sparse and definitely less sunny than "The Coolest Kid in School," a standout harmony-ridden romp that could pass for a Village Green outtake (to be tacked onto an unreasonably expensive Kinks reissue). The energy spent in punky garage rockers like "The Trumpets Blared" and "It's Not Funny" never runs the Teeth ragged on Lover; they've got plenty to give—their rabid fans are onto something.