Hangnail
(Tooth & Nail)
by Scott Hefflon
Man, more and more punks are showing their glam/pop metal roots like a bad dye job… The upside of it is that these kids can slither and sprint up and down a fretboard, and after almost a decade of mopey, introspective slackers, a brief electronic fascination, and a skip through bastardized trends such as ska and swing so quick it barely left a dent, it’s good to know the kids appreciate a good guitar lick. And can play and write melodic numbers that make you snap yer fingers and sing-along, not to mention pick up yer guitar and play along. Hell, even metal (nü metal, at least) doesn’t inspire anyone to wanna get any better at playing, so thank God for metal-influenced punk! Actually, that’s one of the downsides, at least in Hangnail’s case. At least for me…
Back to Hangnail… There’s so much hard-rockin’ anthem/balladry going on behind the punkpop paces, it almost sounds like Dokken, though Stryper’s probably more accurate, huh? And before all the G stuff sunk in, I was really grooving on the musicianship and the really good intentions: maybe the lyrics aren’t so profound when quoted out of context, but the feeling of trying to do good is, well, good to hear. Catchy harmonies, plenty of whoa-whoas, jumpy and butt-shaking song structures, clear, emotive vocals (must be all that clean-living, huh? Sorry…), and riffs to love and learn when not leaping giddily about playing air guitar. Just be wary of them slippery lyrics, if such things are bothersome to you.
(www.becrecordings.com)