The (International) Noise Conspiracy has a hip name, a renowned producer and a classic sound. Whether that's a good thing depends on your personal taste.

On their new Rick Rubin-produced album, Armed Love, the band raids the vaults of classic rock history and comes up with the chunky guitars, straight-up beats and bucket-of-blues vocals characteristic of '70s rock. The music doesn't offer anything incredibly innovative, but if you're looking for a rock album that isn't afraid to revisit the glory days, Armed Love is ready to dance.

In the liner notes, The (International) Noise Conspiracy purports to have some sort of cultural-revolution philosophy behind the album. The band even goes so far as to name a song "Communist Moon."

In reality, Armed Love is a straight-shooting collection of testosterone-driven, feel-good rock songs. Lead singer and harmonica-player Dennis Lyxzén doesn't realize that just dropping frequent references to "revolution," "history" and "the dream" won't make for a revolutionary album. It doesn't make it a bad album, it's just not as earth-shaking as the band intends.

The (International) is part of a new invasion of Scandinavian bands trying to make it big in the States, along with groups like The Hives and Sigur Rós. But while the band members grew up in snowy Sweden, the band's sound is about as Americanized as you can get. The only indication that The (International) is foreign is Lyxzén's inability to pronounce a clean "r," a fact barely noticeable in the mix.

These Swedes are only interested in playing good old-fashioned American rock 'n' roll. It's obvious they've done their homework. The (International) evoke classic bands like Led Zeppelin and Cream. The keyboards on songs like "The Way I Feel About You" are classic Doors all the way. The band even ventures into '80s territory with "Let's Make History," which sounds like an update of "White Wedding."

The band is all about catchy riffs. The guitar parts start many of the songs off right with bluesy, classic-rock stylings. Occasional use of a harmonica further emphasizes the blues base. Lyxzén isn't a great rock singer in the line of Robert Plant, but his voice is pleasantly rough around the edges. Drummer Ludwig Dahlberg has some hot beats up his sleeve, especially when he takes out the shaker for "All In All."

While most of the songs start off well, the verse/chorus/bridge format can get old. The refrains on many of the tunes are less-than-inspiring as Lyxzén tries to yell his way into rock history.

But it's worth listening through the chorus to get to the bridge, which is often the best part of a Noise Conspiracy song. The title track is an average rocker until the blues-break bridge, which features a lonely guitar lick over a background of moaning harmonica. "A Voice Of Our Own" features the band in up-tempo pop-rock mode until the bridge turns the song into a soaring, melodic anthem.

The most innovative part of the music is the lyrics. Lyxzén tries to augment the rocking love-song feel on most tracks with a message about revolution and freedom. It's a tall order to fill, and the band doesn't always get it right.

"Get injected, resurrected, let's get infected, engage in life," Lyxzén sings on "Armed Love." It's a noble sentiment, but unfortunately, the song isn't all that infectious. The lyrics fall flat as the song turns into a bland, self-important rocker.

When The (International) does get it right, it makes their classic rock sound significantly more powerful. The chorus to "A Voice Of Our Own" — "Need to shut your mouth if you wanna be free / Need to shut up in the name of the economy" — makes you feel like protesting big government. You soon find yourself singing along with the "oh yeahs" in the background. This track, which is included on the album as an "extra" song along with the groovy "Guns For Everyone," is one of the strongest on the album.

But the best song on the album is actually "Communist Moon." This dance track effortlessly melds a basic rock guitar riff with quirky keyboards. Lines like "Let's all share our dreams under a communist moon" come alive with Lyxzén's pitch-perfect delivery.

All in all, the album is listenable but flawed. It's got a high rocking capacity, but roughly half the songs are too forgettable to make a great album. The (International) Noise Conspiracy shoots for the moon on Armed Love, and while they don't quite get there, it's definitely worth a listen.

Grade: BC