GURUS’ GARAGE

The Hoodoos Gurus’ barrage of wry, blitzkrieg pop Friday night at the Variety Arts Center was evidence enough that the Australian band deserves a spot in the rock’s Garage Band Hall of Fame. This is a band that has come a long way in a short time. Initially, its music was a freewheeling, but often-derivative pastiche of musical styles and nods to lowbrow pop culture, making them purveyors less of garage than garbage rock.

But with its fine new “Blow Your Cool” LP--which formed the core of the Center show--the group has brought more method to the madness, transcended the many influences and found its own voice. Hoodoo guru Dave Faulkner and company were also much looser and more confident than in past visits. Most like-minded bands would give their right amp for one song with the garage-pop splendor of “Out That Door,” the gorgeous melodic glide of “Death Defying” or the catchy bounce of “Good Times.” The Gurus were confident enough Friday to feel they could string those tunes together early in the set and not run out of nifty material. And they were right.