* * * * <i> Great Balls of Fire</i> * * * <i> Good Vibrations</i> * * <i> Maybe Baby</i> * <i> Running on Empty : </i> : ‘BABBLE’--A BAZOOKA

* * * 1/2 “BABBLE.” That Petrol Emotion. PolyGram. “The new Clash” is a tag that was given to this London-based quintet (four Northern Irishmen and a singer from Seattle) when it debuted last year. But where the Clash evolved into a scatter gun with its wide-screen musical and political iconoclasm, That Petrol Emotion is a bazooka. There’s no messing around when it comes to direct-hit lines like “I’d rather be the Devil than go creeping to the cross” (a swipe at U2?), and the music and Steve Mack’s singing are equally on target. Though characterized by stun guitar, howling vocals and brutal beats, the album always keeps you on your toes with an eclectic though unrefined array of styles, from contemporary dance pulses to raw blues to tender country. “Babble” establishes That Petrol Emotion as one of the most exciting outfits to emerge in the last few years.