Gym Class Heroes

With an ironic name that screams “dodgeball scarred me” and a member whose microphone moniker pays tribute to pop-punk pansies Schleprock, Gym Class Heroes sound like a wimpy freaks-and-geeks ensemble. Instead, this New York quartet concocts surprisingly solid grooves, building on soul-sprinkled guitar, wicked drums and bass lines massive enough to pop up on Geiger counters. In terms of rhyme skills, this isn’t quite the Freestyle Fellowship, but these guys stick to subjects they know well (such as the emo-hookup Web site Make Out Club) and craft gleefully exuberant choruses that distract from any lyrical deficiencies.