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Bubblegum Babylon meets punk paradise
By Grant Stoye
Staff Writer
FILE PHOTO
The Destiny's Child song "Survivor" is covered on the Punk Goes Pop album.
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Ah, spring break. A time to reflect on just how bronze you intend to get, or maybe on how much you will dislike going home and doing chores under your dad’s watchful eye. It’s a time to stray from the norm, or maybe have one last break while the real world looms ahead of you. But whether you were able to get away to sunshine and warmth or go home to a frozen wasteland enveloped in Michigan frostbite, one must be able to take something back with them. Instead of reviewing a typical CD, I’m reviewing one I took with me into spring break which is a departure from the norm. It’s a collaboration of artists contributing on a piece of satiric genius called “Punk Goes Pop.”
As the title suggests, this is a group of punk bands, seventeen in all, performing pop songs in their own particular way. It’s a brilliant follow up to the “Punk Goes Metal” collection, and boy oh boy, have y’all gotta hear this album. There are three tracks in particular that command your attention and demand that you crack at least a smile, but I’ll cover them in due time. On with the frivolity!
The CD opens with a beautiful rendition of the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want it That Way.” The intro creates a soft atmosphere as if they just might do it the original way, but then, when the first verse is over, punk enters the scene. It was at this point of listening that I realized that, to my shame, I actually knew the words to this song because I was singing along like the musical sensation I may have been born to be. That’s how the whole CD goes: you may know the words, you may not, but you just have to sing along, whether it’s going verse for verse or just chipping in on the long notes.
The next song is done by my üC;ber-favorite band in the world, Slick Shoes. This is one of the three aforementioned uncannily awesome songs on this CD. Right from the start you know they’re doing their fast-paced style, complete with screaming guitars and breakneck drumming. The only thing about this song that may seem off-putting (aside from the fact that they’re covering Mandy Moore’s “Candy”) is that lead singer Ryan Kepke sounds a bit too much like Ozzy Osbourne in this song. But no matter! This song will rock your socks off if you have a healthy appreciation for music that is good (but, of course, I may be biased).
The band Yellowcard contributes the third track which happens to be the second of the three best songs. They cover Michelle Branch’s breakout hit “Everywhere” in a marvelous fashion, complete with an addition of violin in transitional points. This song really flows well, making it seem like maybe, just maybe, it was originally written to be a punk song. And yes, whenever I hear this version, I do sing along in preparation for the time when I will serenade someone with this particular version of the tune. That’s right, you heard me.
Although this is touted as a punk CD, there are a couple bands that don’t necessarily fit into this genre, but their contributions are still welcomed. Further Seems Forever, an emo band, adds their two cents with ’N Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye.” This track starts out with an acoustic strumming and then the band goes right into doing their thing. It actually resembles the original version in the vocal aspect with Jason Gleason showing off his talents, complimented with an upbeat instrumental backing. Stretch Arm Strong, a hardcore band, adds on a cover of Pink’s “Get This Party Started” which is just so comically well done one would be hard pressed to suppress a guffaw or two.
Another hilariously done cover is Keepsake’s version of “The Way You Love Me” by Faith Hill. Instead of playing this song in a speedy punk rock sort of way, they slow it down, use tambourines, acoustic guitars and sappy vocals.
The third of the three best tracks is performed by the Starting Line, whose stirring rendition of the infamous J-Lo’s “I’m Real” is enough to make someone jerk around like they’re having a convulsion. This may be the best track on the entire CD, with the Line using two lead singers to cover both Ms. Lopez and Ja “I love duets” Rule in a way that flows so seamless one would definitely say that this version is far superior to the original (I reiterate: I am quite biased, so decide for yourself!). This song is able to create what I like to call a “triumphant effect,” where during the course of the song, your adrenaline rushes and you want to go out and do something that would cause you to yell out “YES!”
For all the really swell covers on this album, there are a few that fall short of the expectations set about by the standard that was set. Element 101, a great punk band, covers Nelly Furtado’s “I’m Like a Bird.” Lead singer Crissie Verhagen has a unique and enjoyable voice, but she doesn’t have Furtado’s dexterity, and this version just comes up flat in all aspects.
Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor,” done by Knockout, just seems redundant and almost irritating. RUFiO does a cover of “Like a Prayer” by Madonna that I thought paled in comparison to H20’s cover of the same song, which was just awesome. (Download it! Now!) It’s not really bad; I just liked the other one better.
All in all, this CD was a true pleasure to listen to. I didn’t even cover the other bands that contributed, like Student Rick, Showoff and Thrice, among others. This CD is able to take the stale pop songs that permeate the airwaves and give them new life in a fresh and fun way. It’s worth a listening to if you like punk or even if you like pop and want to hear a different spin on it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go and pretend that I actually went somewhere south for spring break and that I just don’t tan well.
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