Songs from the Penalty Box

Vol 3 (Tooth & Nail)
by Tim Den

Whoever said pop-punk is no longer creative? Songs from the Penalty Box Vol. 3 from (of all places) Tooth & Nail definitely didn’t. With seventeen alive and kicking punk rock tunes, you can bet this label ain’t backing out of the game anytime soon. Original, well-crafted (instrumentally and vocally) fast music from the likes of Dogwood, Shorthanded, and Craig’s Brother make pop-punk sound as enriching as it ever was, as more-noise-induced Ninety Pound Wuss and Frodus bring the spirit of “atonal-core” to its nuttiest. Then there’s Slick Shoes, a band still in its developing stages but already “slick” enough to snag the award for “best song on comp.” Fast, technical, and refreshingly inventive in its pop characteristics, I still can’t believe that MxPx (also appearing here, as boring as ever) are bigger than these guys. And who can forget the newest Tooth & Nail sensations, Fanmail: the best of pop-rock meets a slab of kick ass. Their brand of radio-embracing songs can only be matched by astounding Boston locals, The Dubnicks.

All in all, this comp will be a big help to those still faithful to the powerful medium known as pop-punk. It’s rewarding to know the waiting around was worth it. Others appearing: Huntingtons, Squad Five-O, Blindside, The Undecided, The Dingees, For Love Not Lisa, Blenderhead, and Ghoti Hook.
(PO Box 12698 Seattle, WA 98111)