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It's not every day a glossy, neon-lit, new-wave pop band cite Peter Steele as an influence and inspiration. But not only is the Cinnamon Fuzz's debut EP dedicated to the late Type O Negative frontman, his vampiric vocal delivery is also eerily — and oddly — present in the band's saccharine-smacked standout single, "Reboot My Heart." The track is not about Steele's April death from heart failure but rather a cleverly written ode to computer-programmer geek love. Lines like "Reboot my heart/Because of you I can restart" and "Let's fall in love to interface/We'll share cyberspace" are rendered even more l33t with a Cars-esque '80s synthesizer squeal, but the track keeps its high-tech cheek in check just enough to prevent an overfried sonic motherboard. If they still made teen movies and today's version of Jennifer Love Hewitt were about to walk awkwardly into a wild house party looking for a dude upstairs wasting time on the internet (likely stalking her on Facebook), "Reboot My Heart" would soundtrack it. But Cruise of the Century isn't the EP equivalent of some fleeting internet meme. Enhanced by the slick production of Anthony J. Resta (Duran Duran, Scissor Sisters) at his Bopnique Musique studio in Boston, it's a five-song joyride — complete with vintage DeLorean DMC-12 pictured on the album cover — through love-sick city streets drunk on smooth pop-music craftsmanship. Vocalist/guitarist and chief songwriter Jonah Burstein smartly drops the Steele vocal shtick on "Mixed Up Obsession," a shark-toothed, post-punk twirl waltzing confidently across the dance floor, and "Now I Know" is a squeaky-clean power-pop reminder of the long-forgotten early promise of the Rentals. Although Steele might have publicly scoffed at an '80s sound fit for the Pretty in Pink high-school-hallway scenes, turns out he influenced more than just the metal kids.
