Showoff

Showoff (1999)

ChrisGorman2

Showoff…Im not sure who they rip-off more, Green Day or Goldfinger. Prolly a bit of both. Either way, this band gets slagged a lot, and I can see why. They, like Sum-41 and Good Charlotte, seem to have jumped to the top of the heap without paying much in the way of dues. However, I can say this honestly. It was back in '97 when I saw this band for the first time, opening for the Pilfers and Goldfinger. I thought they sucked then, but I think it proves one thing, and that is this band has been at if for a while.

I have a definite soft spot for this band. I remember working at my old job, a record store one afternoon, and a couple of the guys in the band came through my line. They were in town on tour opening for Citizen King. I didn't realize who they were, but once I did, I was pretty stunned. I told them about the first time I saw them w/Goldfinger, and they remembered the show. They were good guys, and they even got me on the guest list, if I remember correctly. Either way, they put on a hell of a show then, and it prompted me to get their S/T disc

This CD has its ups and downs to be sure. Some of the songs are pure pop-punk (I think just started a debate!), such as "Backstab", "Coalition" and "Anti-Song". The latter is a great song about how people in the scene slag on this band for being "un-punk". It has fairly humorous lyrics, showing that this band could really give a flying fuck what people say. Some of the songs are a little too poppy for my taste, though I cant deny I have hummed them to myself as I slave away at work. Songs like "Falling Star", "Someone", and "Unspoken Words" pack about as much punch as N'Sync. These are the songs to get the young girls to fuck them backstage, but I have to say, they do it better then Blink-182 and Unwritten Law.

Overall, I would recommend listening to some Mp3's before you buy this disc. I think that if you like bands like Green or Goldfinger, you should probably like this. On the other hand, if your tastes run towards the harder, more serious end of the spectrum, avoid this band.