Soviet Space's razor-sharp live shows have created a bit of a buzz around town, and the band's debut recording admirably captures its fast-forward, quicksilver charm. Go Faster [Stay Yellow] features six of the band's best original compositions, including the atypically slow-moving -- but nonetheless delightfully crunchy -- "All Star Falling."

Although the name Soviet Space calls to mind some moody Eastern European synth band exploring new realms of stylized depression, the band's general overall tone is one of sunny cheer. The Crowley-based quartet pumps out serious slabs of granite-solid pop-punk riffage that are backed with nimble and inventive drum lines and fills. Track six, "Titan of Terror," opens with a chugging guitar that neatly buoys Noah Garcia's thin vocals on an upward draft of earwarming froth and then breaks into a joyously head-bouncing chorus. Following in the footsteps of such luminaries as The Get Up Kids, Soviet Space's sense of melody keeps it from straying too close to already-marked paths.