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**1/2 The Kings of Nuthin’

GET BUSY LIVIN OR GET BUSY DYIN’

(Reckloose Records)

Propelled by driving upright bass, honking sax, and impressive barrelhouse piano, the Kings of Nuthin’ pounce on the eight tunes on their debut EP with an urban jump-blues style bolstered by some tough punk attitude. Torr Skoog’s vocals lean toward a cartoony Tom Waits and maintain an edge that makes you believe he actually does drink gasoline, as he sings in “Let It Burn.” Both Justin Hubbard’s guitar and Liam Crill’s drums have roots in trad jazz, but they clearly know their way around early rock and roll, R&B, and rockabilly. The doo-wop-tinged “King of Nuthin’ ” slows the pace down a bit, but Skoog keeps the sap to a minimum. The title cut begins on a similar note before the Kings quickly take it from a sock-hop sleeper to a rent-party rocker — the only thing missing is the sound of bottles breaking.

— Jon Marko