HotrodboB is a local band in my home town of Tulsa, Oklahoma that I saw play live and I was generally impressed by this pop-punk band that have some interesting lyrics in their first album and some good music to back it up as well. When this was recorded there were only three members at the time. Clay (vox, guitar), Jay (bass, backup vox), and Bo (drums) and there is now a second guitarist, but when I saw them live he was playing the same thing as the other guitarist; hopefully when they release their second album soon he’ll be playing different parts. Most of their songs are under three minutes long and most of them are catchy. Except sometimes their songs can get pretty boring and feel uninspired. The bassist is a DJ at the only independent alternative rock station and runs the show Homegrown. Where Jay will interview local bands as well as play music from bands all over Oklahoma, including The-All-American-Rejects and sometimes introduces bands at the Cains Ballroom. They have opened for couple of popular bands as well, but the only one I can remember is Bowling For Soup. They’re the kind of band that likes to have fun at concerts and drink lots of beer.
The first few songs on this album are easily the best of the album as well as the catchiest. The lyrics most of the time, tend to feel thought out and intelligent. Another thing that I liked about this album, unlike most pop-punk bands; the songs aren’t always about relationships or don’t make it seem so obvious that they are. The music itself also feels inspired and thought out as well. The guitar really stands out at some points such as the song
Apartment 2-13. Another one is
The Shadows, which has a slow guitar solo on it that doesn’t last to long, but is rather nice. Most of the time the guitar is power chords, but sometimes plays some really nice leads. The bass guitar is alright, but never plays any outstanding leads or anything of the sort. The singing from Clay can sometimes sound nasal to me, but it never really gets to annoying and is enjoyable at times. Although his voice never really changes and doesn’t show to much diversity. The lyrics, while usually being serious, can be meant to be fun and at times aren’t to be taken seriously. An example would be on the song
What’s Stopping Me Today where the lyrics are
“When boredom turns to things that I do not know. When killing time becomes more than a joke, while you’re sleeping, I’m plotting you’re demise. I’m not feeling like myself. Can you see it in my eyes? And I think that we both know that you’re not waking up again.” The drumming is actually pretty good and not only holds it all together, but most of the time the beats are actually inventive sometimes. One of my favorite songs with drumming is the song
The Shadows, which is a catchy song.
Overall, the album is actually pretty good for pop-punk and the songs can sometimes sound like each other, but mostly they sound distinct from each other. Although the first half of the album is strong, the second half is rather weak, making the album become somewhat boring. The best songs on the album are
700 Club,
Apartment 2 13, and
These Walls. There is a total of twelve songs on the album along with a hidden track that comes to a total of nearly forty minutes long. Hardcore fans of pop-punk will definitely want to check the band out on myspace because the overall replay value is higher than your standard pop-punk these days. I believe I will rate this album good, which is a 3 out of 5.
