Atticus Clothing (which is owned by Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge from blink-182) and the Side One Dummy label have joined together to release another volume of Dragging the Lake. Like the first volume, this disc is a mix of emo bands, punk-pop bands, and straight-up punk bands. The bands range from superstars of modern punk like blink-182 to unsung heroes like Rocket from the Crypt and Dillinger Four to survivors like Jets to Brazil to up and comers like Sparta to total unknowns like Slick Shoes. All the songs are rock-solid ...
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Atticus Clothing (which is owned by Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge from blink-182) and the Side One Dummy label have joined together to release another volume of Dragging the Lake. Like the first volume, this disc is a mix of emo bands, punk-pop bands, and straight-up punk bands. The bands range from superstars of modern punk like blink-182 to unsung heroes like Rocket from the Crypt and Dillinger Four to survivors like Jets to Brazil to up and comers like Sparta to total unknowns like Slick Shoes. All the songs are rock-solid modern punk, but there are inevitably standout tracks: Rocket from the Crypt's "I'm Not Invisible" is a short sharp blast of energy, Dillinger Four's "Noble Stabbings!!" is an epic-sounding song that brings the Clash to mind, H20's "All We Want" is a sweet singalong, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones' "A Jackknife to a Swan" sounds surprisingly good, and the Alkaline Trio's previously unreleased version of "Crawl" (taken from a BBC session) combines the lyricism of the Smiths with pure punk attitude. The only songs that sound weak are Maxeen's second-rate Jimmy Eat World imitation "Soleil," Matchbook Romance's third-rate Jimmy Eat World imitation "The Greatest Fall," and Bane's awful "Some Came Running," which sounds like Spinal Tap crossed with the Wiggles and the Transplants' "One Seventeen" and is let down by the corny vocals and silly electronics. Along with the Alkaline Trio rarity, there are also unreleased tracks by the Dropkick Murphys, Finch, Lagwagon, and Sparta, as well as a blink-182 track, "Don't Tell Me It's Over," that was only available as a bonus track on the limited-edition version of Take Off Your Pants and Jacket. This disc serves as a fine sampler for the modern punk sound that almost any fan of the genre will want to pick up. ~ Tim Sendra, Rovi
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