Goober Patrol
"Vacation" CD (Fat Wreck Chords)
The Brits have definitely been riding the punk rock bench, blissfully distracted by their homegrown brand of cheesy Anglo "Britpop" (Blur, Suede, Pulp, etc.). In that respect, thank God for Goober Patrol. With their most recent release, "Vacation," the four pasty lads from England continue to churn out their patented steak & kidney pie version of American hardcore. The lead singer sounds like Tim Armstrong with a cockney accent (okay, a more DEFINED cockney accent) and the music rocks like any good pop/punk should. "Empty" might be a total Green Day rip-off, but so What? "Vacation" is a power blast of candy-ass punk with a boot to the head. Whether or not they're just another attempt by Fat Mike to go international remains to be seen. Maybe we should ask Frenzel Rhomb ... (TOM)