Before we begin, I should admit that I tend to have a bias against "The South". Working in an establishment with a jukebox and being forced to listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" way too many times has left a permanent negative mark on my ears. Okay, I'll admit that I am well aware that Lynyrd Skynyrd is not representative of some of the excellent independent music coming from the southeastern United States, but still, Birmingham, Alabama doesn’t come up on the list of places you’d expect a group with the sunny, pop appeal of The Rewinds.

On their self-titled debut, however, The Rewinds do Birmingham proud. The guitars have just the right amount of jangle, the bass and drums keep the songs moving forward at a good pace, and the vocals glide smoothly over the top — it's almost enough to make Central Alabama feel like Southern California. To hear it all come together, "Ghostriders" and "Fascination" are great places to start on this album.