The only thing you REALLY need to know about the third Atticus compilation is that there’s a Lucero song on it that you can’t buy on any of their currently available records. Therefore, you should buy it and listen to it over and over again until that song is as burned onto your brain as the rest of their music already is.
What? You don’t love Lucero? Shame on you. Then this record might be a great opportunity for you to ditch the trendy junk you’re listening to and recognize the best rock band in America. There’s a Death Cab for Cutie track for you indie kids and The O.C. fans, Funeral for a Friend and Murder By Death for you morbid kids, the wickedly ‘80s song from The Sounds, the fun piano pop of Piebald, the street rock’n’roll of the Street Dogs, and the melodic hardcore of Rise Against, just to name a few of the better tracks. There’s something for everyone on this record, which is both a good and bad thing, as usual.
Atticus, for those who aren’t up on which bands are cashing in their fame with t-shirts, is the clothing company owned by Blink 182 members Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge. This CD is apparently their third in the series, and from the track lists of the first two, easily the most schizophrenic. It veers from a pop-punk beginning (Blink 182, MXPX), through the Lucero song to the indie rock section (Death Cab, Piebald), into hardcore (the Bled, Rise Against), ‘80s wannabe music (the Sounds, VCR), back to punk rock (Street Dogs) and ends with the reggae-folk of Bedouin Soundclash. What it really sounds like is a mixed tape that the guys tried to throw a bit of everything that they liked onto, and in the process hopefully rope lots of people with lots of different tastes into buying it.
The question is, is one track by a band you love worth $7.99 for a compilation CD when you may not know or like any of the other bands? Especially when that song is probably on a record you already own? I can’t complain too much, though—if one person decides to widen their taste because of this album, it’ll be a job well done. Do yourselves a favor, though, and skip the horribly morbid “Cigarette,” by the aptly named Recover.
(This review was not paid for by Lucero or their record label. Kaffeinebuzz reserves the right to gush like schoolgirls whenever we want to, but would never take a bribe to pimp a band.
Unless you make us cookies, too.)
