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In our world, there are a few universal truths, things that can't be argued because they are so irreversibly factual that everyone is simply aware that their existence defies discussion.

The US was founded on some of these ideas, outlined in the Declaration of Independence as truths we hold "to be self-evident," going on to say something about all men being equal, with the rich being considered slightly more equal (this may have been added later, I don't have it in front of me).

And there are also truths that apply worldwide. These include things like the Law of Conservation of Energy that was hammered into our skulls in science class, the fact that dogs are better than cats (except little dogs, which don't really count as dogs, if you think about it), and the fact that Shark Week is awesome.

Seriously, that's a solid universal truth. For one week each year, the Discovery Channel shows a series of programs about the killing machines that lurk in the oceans just waiting for an opportunity to eat you, your entire family, everyone you hold dear and even some folks you only sort of know - just because they can.

The idea that Shark Week is awesome is so universally true that it's a standard for measuring the awesomeness of other things. I, for example, compared Gaytheist's Stealth Beats to Shark Week, as a means of showing you how awesome that album is.

And now, a move has been made in the music world that threatens to throw this standard of awesomeness on its proverbial ear.

A band has sought to muddy the waters by emerging from the dark depths of Washington DC, driving all ahead by the sheer force of the audacity they freely exhibit by choosing to call themselves Shark Week.

Now, other bands have named themselves after awesome and powerful forces. There was Death, for example, the Detroit punk band who would later have their name usurped by the death metal band also called Death. But never in my experience, has someone even considered the possibility that they would adopt the name Shark Week. So it is with great trepidation that I am cracking open the three-song EP by this band (simply titled EP) in order to find out if they live up to their name. At the same time, I'm almost afraid that, should they truly live up to their name, will I be able to handle the scale of their awesomeness?

And the truth is, Shark Week the band is seriously awesome. They're not completely Shark Week (the phenomena) awesome, but they're on their way.

The band plays a blend of surf rock, mixed with raw garage punk, a bit of psychedelic rock and a big pile of raw, party fueled rock and roll. It's a bit like a great white chewed up the Cramps, Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Mighty Stef and the New York Dolls, swished them in his mouth, and spit them in a blender. But that's not the end of this cocktail. From there, the contents of the blender were mixed with beer and a lot of gasoline before being blended and poured over a beachside bonfire. The resulting explosion would equal the rock-ability of Shark Week.

The opening track, "Get High," starts big and booming, with an uptempo edge over a building melody that fuels the next two tracks. From there, the remaining two tracks explore more of the band's complexities. "If You Want Me To Stay (For a While)" is a swirling mass of lo-fi garage with psychedelic side, while the closer "There Comes A Time," is dips from a loungy feel to a plodding bluesy drive that's made for late nights, cold beers and fun times.

So perhaps the ideal way to witness this band would be a nighttime set at a warm summer beach party, where they played feet from the shore, where real sharks occasionally devoured hapless swimmers. That would make for a night worth retelling (and I'm referring to telling everyone about the night you saw Shark Week on a beach, not the night the sharks ate those people, because that's just what sharks do).

So, while Shark Week (the band) isn't quite as good as Shark Week (the phenomena), I have to applaud their ambition and the sheer ballsiness they took on for adopting this name. As they dig in and progress, they will surely get better, and when they come forth with more tracks having set their sights on a bar so unnaturally high, they're going to be devouring lesser bands left and right.

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