THE SOVIETTES - LP II

Through the years, I’ve listened to a lot of pop-punk bands try and be as cool as The Ramones were. But rather than succeed, they merely became tonal copycats, mimicking the sound, but never the genuine playfulness.
Until I met The Soviettes.
I really didn’t expect to appreciate LP II, because the words \"pop-punk\" tend to repel me like a visible STD. But I can honestly say, as a huge Ramones fan, that The Soviettes figured it out, and have the ridiculously fun hearts of Joey and his leather jacket-clad brethren. Their sound is their own-- looser and grittier-- and they keep their pop-punk sound somewhat fresh by trading off lead vocal duties. But throughout the album’s 14 tracks, they wholeheartedly wave the Ramones\' playful spirit flag.
They introduce the world to all they have to offer with one of the album’s sweeter tracks, \"Ten\". Later on, they dip into less romantic territory on songs like \"Winning Is For Losers\" and \"There’s A Banana In My Ear\", where they address the sadder side of soldiering and corrupt leaders, respectively. And despite the infectious catchiness throughout, it’s the twisted \"Angel A\" that’s giving my repeat button finger a hellacious callous.
So mix up that Kool-Aid, dump in a half-bottle of vodka, and soak up the saccharine-sweet kick of one of pop-punk’s only really decent listens: LP II.