The Knockarounds (http://www.theknockarounds.com) join the pop-punk sweepstakes with less aggro rock volume and more humor and frat-boy fun than their peers. The group echoes the subversive, adolescent wit of "Dookie"-period Green Day with the emotional highs and melodic instincts of Weezer. Party like it's 1994? Well, why not?
On this five-track EP, the Knockarounds bust the walls between power pop and pop-punk. "The Loner" is more of the former, a Superdrag-fueled high-octane blast of fuzzy guitars, toe-tapping keyboards, and winsome vocal harmonies. It's much better than any of the emo garbage that "Alternative Press" magazine is pushing these days. The title track is as hummable as anything from Weezer's debut album. On "On Your Back," the Knockarounds will stir a little controversy with its graphic sexuality; they wouldn't be a punk band if they didn't push the envelope, right?
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Probably the biggest chuckles I got were from "Siouxsie Is My Goth Queen," a tribute to New Wave Hall of Famer Siouxsie Sioux complete with opening Banshee wail and the cute line, "Makes me wish everyday was Halloween," which just might be a reference to Ministry.
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