Batusis

We're in the midst of perhaps the greatest rock supergroup era of all time, with the Dead Weather, Them Crooked Vultures, Wild Flag and Shrinebuilder leading the way. Another new outfit that's greater than the sum of its famous parts is Batusis, which was hatched by lifelong friends and punk founding fathers Cheetah Chrome — guitarist for proto-punk/trash-rock legends the Dead Boys and Rocket From the Tombs — and New York Dolls guitarist Sylvain Sylvain. With drummer Lez Warner (ex-Cult) and former Joan Jett & the Blackhearts bassist Sean Koos providing the anchor, Batusis gleefully dives into the gutters, summoning the grit and grime of vintage CBGB-era punk. But from time to time the band tempers the kamikaze attack with midtempo quasi-anthems that a guy like Springsteen could call his own.