Pink Spiders
(Adrenaline Music Group)
These guys are rarely as infectious as their image or their name. But when they are, this album's pretty undeniable, from the majestic New Wave riff that kicks things off in style on "Busy Signals" to the handclap-driven teenage kicks of "Stranglehold." And the lyrics to "Seventeen Candles," a catchy piano-fueled blast of post-Supertramp pop, is surprisingly heartfelt - one could even argue deep -- for a song whose title sets you up for kitschy Molly Ringwald references. Instead, you get a Ben Folds-worthy tale of a party girl feeling the burnout setting in at 17. As singer Matt Friction laments on the chorus, "Everyone told her it don't get much better, which only upset her. Could this be as good as it gets?"
It's as good as they get, but several other songs come close. It's only when their Nashville roots start showing through the Manic Panic that they really lose their way, undone by geographic authenticity. It sounds like someone snuck a big dumb modern country song into the mix on lead-off single "Gimme Chemicals" while the boys were off looking for bargains at the local skinny tie store, while "Don't Wait For Me" feels like Jon Bon Jovi's Blaze of Glory soundtrack crossed with Poison's lighter-waving anthem "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." But not in a good way.
Standout tracks: "Busy Signals," "Seventeen Candles" A. WATT
