The High Speed Scene rocks harder, a lot harder, than Weezer. Maybe not as hard as Weezer ten years ago, but they blow the hell out of the new "Beverly Hills" song by Weezer that's on the radio these days.
Fast, cleanly produced, and filled with hooks, the debut CD from San Francisco's The High Speed Scene is probably the best album that won't be heard or written about anywhere.
Except here, of course.
Pop-punk has become a curse word for both rock critics and fanatics. But there was a time when the genre had bands like Weezer, Jawbreaker and Guided By Voices in its grasp. That time was the mid 90s - pop-punk's heyday.
If bands such as Tonic and Better Than Ezra evoke fond memories, High Speed Scene's self-titled album will do the same. But such trends couldn't last forever.
Bands like Sum 41 and Good Charlotte arrived on the scene and ruined pop-punk by the end of the decade.
This pushed "good" pop-punk to the point of oblivion. "Good" pop-punk included bands like Ozma and Phantom Planet, who were little more than Weezer imitators. Unfortunately, The High Speed Scene belongs in this category.
They are un-apologetic about their lack of originality, but that doesn't matter because their sound is so strong. There's no need to take their lack of originality very seriously when the music is so damn fun. Songs like "Crazy" and "F**k and Spend," exemplify the kind of mood that this music is meant to bring to mind.
There is no such thing as a down moment or a ballad on the album, not that this is a problem. A slow song would have ruined the momentum, which essentially holds the album together, because it certainly is not the surprises.
The CD sounds so familiar and it seems as if it could have been completely ripped-off from a number of mid-90s bands. The songs are marketed to one specific demographic, containing no diversity or universality.
It's hit-or-miss with The High Speed Scene, but the potential pay-off is well worth the gamble. They aren't re-inventing the wheel, but they are producing some high-quality tires that can handle a trip or two. The High Speed Scene offers straightforward rock with no gimmicks and no surprises.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
