Boston News Today - REVIEW: TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKET: ANOTHER WAY

GENRE | SNOTNOSE PUNK
LABEL | RED SCARE RECORDS

I know that with kids, you’re supposed to show pride in everything they do. Teenage Bottlerocket is not my child, but they are near and dear to my heart. The band as of 2011 is a track star, writing for the school paper and a card-carrying member of the National Honor Society to boot. This album is reissued from 2004 and includes some out of print 7″ material. Basically, this is like the album that they would’ve made as sophomores in high school. They’re figuring out who they are and bringing their sound together, but it’s definitely a younger Bottlerocket endeavor.

Unlike the full speed-ahead, poppy melodies that drench They Came From the Shadows, this collection is stripped down. The chords and solos are minimal as they drift in the same tone throughout. “Rathead” seems the most obscure, with a pace and bitter tone as if they pulled in a strung out Dee Dee Ramone on vocals. It’s a slightly monotonous tempo with less passion. Like a pimply teenager practicing oboe every day, it shows promise. I’m happy to put to put this one on my fridge.