BOX CAR RACER
"Box
Car Racer" (MCA; 2002)
Reviewed by Dominic Pierce-Toogood
Isn't a "side project" meant to be a band or band member working under a new identity to produce something masterfully different or experimental? Able to shrug it off for the fans if it doesn't work? I thought so. However, here are all the same Blink 182 traits only sung with a social conscience. Most every track could have appeared on an album under their usual moniker, ""I Feel So," the opening track being the best of these. "My First Punk Song," - raw and played lightning fast - reminds you briefly of what a punk band used to sound like while Rancid, (a real punk band - take a listen), and New Found Glory fans will be amused to hear their respective lead singers (Tim Armstrong and Jordan Pundik) warbling away on the track "Cat and Thief" - surely the most commercial song they'll ever be asked to contribute to!
All in all a disappointment especially when you are expecting a new slant from a band you already know can produce great hooks and infectious drum patterns. The Blink kids will love it and their parents will too, (there is an edited version available), but if you are not a fan yet then this won't change anything.
"Box
Car Racer" (MCA; 2002)
Reviewed by Snidermann
Box Car Racer is a side project of Thomas DeLonge and Travis Baker of Blink 182. Most of the music is so similar that this band should be called Box Car 182 or Blink Racer. While I was listening to the CD, I could not get Blink 182 out of my head. Although there are some parts of Box Car Racer that were much harder than Blink 182, the same light pop/punk was prevalent throughout.
Don't get me wrong - I actually like Blink 182 and I like Boxcar Racer - but I hear no real difference between the two. Box Car is a little harder and a little heavier in places, but, all in all, it's practically all the same.
Box Car Racer: Thomas DeLonge - vocals guitar; Travis Baker - drums; David Kennedy - guitar; Anthony Celistino - bass.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2002 by R.
Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
Revised:
16 Feb 2020 16:52:11 -0500 .
