The Bangles: Where does one begin? The media and the public at large often forget (or they never knew) that The Bangles were formed in 1981! This was a bleeding edge, trailblazing group of young women, who played their own instruments, and wrote many of their own songs. People scoff at their punk-lite beginnings which morphed into a lite rock, Top 40 sound, and dismiss them as the Go-Go's lesser cousins (despite their tenure in the industry). In truth, The Bangles were the most innovative all female band ever. Their demise at their peak came from two main sources: management and Hoffs. The problem is that they (management and Hoffs) both wanted the band to be nothing more than a Hoffs vehicle (she the sultry gamine who purred every song like a cat lying in a sunbeam), with her bandmates playing the competent, but anonymous, step-sisters. Hoffs, unfortunately, overplayed her hand - going solo, trying to land starring acting roles - and found that indeed, she was no more than a part of a greater whole. Susanna, Debbi, Vikki and Michael (as idiosyncratic as her name) were each integral to their stunning success.

Which brings us to "Doll Revolution" (also the title track and a cover of Elvis Costello's tune). This is the perfect Bangles album. It expresses what they were all about before stardom (specifically Hoffs') took them off course. The Costello cover sums up the album as a whole - it's really an homage to their musical roots, which drew strongly from Brit-Pop and the Mersey Beat. Tell me you don't hear the Beatles, the Stones, the Mamas and the Papas in such songs as "Stealing Rosemary", "Ride the Ride" and "Lost at Sea". Ignore the single now getting play ("Something That You Said"), and focus on the remaining tracks. A true poppy gem is found in "Mixed Messages". This is true, honest music craftsmanship. The Bangles are dead. Long live The Bangles.