I'm going to start this music blog by looking at a CD that came out earlier this year. It's by a little known band called Teenage Bottlerocket. This band has been around since 2004, but still have not reached total commercial success. Their 2008 release Warning Device clocks in at just under 28 minutes. Their sound would best be described as old school pop-punk.
Whenever I start this CD playing on my iTunes, I can't just listen to one song (and not just because the songs are so terribly short.) All of the songs are incredibly catchy. "In the Basement" was once named as a "Must Download" by Spin magazine, in addition to being the sole song on this album with a music video.
While not incredibly technical, both the drumming and guitar work are more than sufficient. The drummer plays a steady, quick beat, with suitably speedy fills. For most of the songs, the guitar is limited to playing simple chords. But, again, this is pop-punk. It's meant to be deceptively simple. Teenage Bottlerocket has been able to take various power chords and turn them into 13 distinct and entertaining melodies. While the songs all sound like they're in the same key-"happy" would be the best way to describe it-the songs never seem repetitive. And, when the guitar does have some solo time, the solos are not overly complicated, but with just enough notes for the guitarist to show off his playing prowess. The songs do usually follow the standard verse-chorus-verse formula, but both the choruses and verses are so damn fun that you simply can't get bored while listening to them.
The simplistic instrumentals are coupled with very light and uncomplicated lyrics.
During the chorus of "Basement" , the singer laments that he doesn't want to...go down to his basement. Clearly, the lyrics aren't the deepest, most thought provoking poetry-put-to-music you've ever heard. But, it's nice to hear a band that's not so bogged down with cheap melodrama that they have to scream about a lost love every other song. Even when they do sing about pursuing a relationship in "Crawling Back To You," Teenage Bottlerocket's lyrics aren't overdone or overly sappy.
The vocalist sings the verses very well. With a middle-high pitch voice, he gives a peppy but not sugary sound to the lyrics. He seems genuinely excited to sing.
This is what pop-punk should be. Fast, fun, and catchy as hell.
10/10
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