I have no idea what Hoots Deuce means. Two hits from a pipe? Is it when an owl takes a shit? Luckily, the fourth release (first one completely self-produced by the band) from Sudbury’s Pistol George Warren doesn’t at all sound like an owl shitting. It’s absolutely packed with infectious energy and harkens back to big-band rock ‘n’ roll, R&B and Motown. There are actually 12 people who played on this album (four of them named Matthew, or a variation of it). That big family vibe is obvious on tracks like the ridiculously catchy single, “High School Blues,” which features a hyper-groovy staccato guitar riff on top of toe-tapping drums, lead-singer Matt Ralph’s echo-drenched cool-guy voice, and some ass-kicking, soulful backing vocals from Stephany Saroka, Jen McKerral, and Shari Diaz (who do their thing on the first three tracks of the EP). “No Love” is more upbeat and dance-y, and features a nice solo break and some sort of crazy tremolo effect on Ralph’s vocals at one point. “Blue Hawaii” sounds exactly like you’d expect a song named “Blue Hawaii” to sound like, complete with the doo-wop backing vocals and summery, surfy sound. The back end of the EP lacks a bit of the magic that makes the first half so fun to listen to, but it’s not bad, either. This band pretty much sounds like a bunch of kids read a copy of The Commitments and thought it seemed like a cool idea. And it is a cool idea. Pistol George Warren: bringin’ the soul back to Sudbury. (Independent, pistolgeorgewarren.bandcamp.com) Matt Williams