Sicko
"You Can Feel the Love in this Room" CD (eMpTy)
Still more upbeat pop-punk, this time from a trio with the guts to cover the Indigo Girls' "Closer To Fine." They rip through 17 songs (18 on the vinyl) in about 32 minutes and do songs about growing up, hating your job and other topics. It's short and fast, but Sicko makes up for the brevity with humor. It's worth buying just to hear the aforementioned Indigo Girls' tune change from a folk song into a supercharged punk ditty. Consider the rest of these songs a thank you note for spending your cash on this release.
"Chef Boy RU Dum" CD (eMpTy)
Ah, the wonders of dull music! It's something I expect from bands like Poison, but it's a shame to watch a once-promising rock band slide into the pit of mediocrity. The worst thing about Sicko's new album is that there are a few great songs which live up to the standards they set with "You Can Feel The Love In This Room." "Believe" is the best song on the album and it has the same giddy, goofy sense of amusement and humor which characterized the band's first full-length. Sure, songs like "Half the Battle," "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and "The Dateless Losers" are cool, but then there's the rest of the album - hooks as sharp as bedroom slippers, melodies which sound like toast and lyrics which seem forced, especially in songs like "The Inland Empire Strikes Back" and "Computer Geek." I'd pass on this culinary creation.