Ashtray Babyhead
Radio
»
Ashtray Babyhead
Radio
Glue Factory, 2000
RiYL: Weezer, Foo Fighters, Marcy Playground |
Influenced by '50s doo-wop and '80s hair bands like Motley Crue, Ashtray Babyhead create guitar-driven, punkish pop songs exploding with hooks that sink into you and keep you coming back like a crackhead looking for a fix. Sporting super tight harmonies and intelligent lyrics, these guys make their peers in the pop-punk genre seem like pre-schoolers scribbling on construction paper.
Writing for a more mature audience, the boys tackle such heavy topics as drug addiction with the song "Pill." The song starts off with a driving beat and the line "And I know not take these everyday." The whole tempo of the song lends itself to the desperation of drug abuse. "And I know if I make it through today / Well I flushed all my feelings down the drain" follows as the fight continues. The chorus is simple, "I know / I know / Yeah / Yeah / Yeah." The serious topic by no means limits Ashtray Babyhead from crafting a strong pop song with all the components of a hit.
But the album isn't all melancholy songs. The majority of the CD is filled with upbeat songs. "Popstar Radio Crown," which is better than most of today's radio hits, deals with the sorry state of commercial radio, and "Radar" lashes out at the indie music scene, which has become inundated with rich kids looking for some credibility: "Disco bars will kill this sound and trust fund kids will rule this town."
When all is said and done, Ashtray Babyhead may not be breaking new ground, but they are dusting off the finer points of a genre spiraling into mediocrity.
KEVIN MAURER |