Record review: Foxboro Hot Tubs, "Stop Drop And Roll!!!"
4 stars
Those sneaky devils in Green Day find their inner garage rockers on “Stop Drop and Roll!!!,” a disc credited to their alter ego outfit, the Foxboro Hot Tubs.
A smart move on multiple levels, going garage lets the punk trio have fun while avoiding the pressure of a “serious” followup to its brilliant “American Idiot.” But by moving backward toward the ’60s, it shows the direct lineage from garage to today’s punk (or punk pop, to be more precise).
There are still some straight punk trappings that pop up here and there on “Stop Drop and Roll!!!.” For example, “Broadway” is all Billie Joe Armstrong vocals with a punkish bounce. But there’s some wild guitar and enough dynamic change to send it back to the garage.
As a rule, everything on the record swings far harder than anything released under the Green Day moniker, a must for real rock ’n’ roll spirit.
And the words, well, let’s just say they’re about girls and parties with nothing resembling politics anywhere to be found.
“Mother Baby” gets the hype on the CD’s retro cardboard, for good reason — it’s a genuine ’60s hookfest. But there are a lot of good tunes on the disc, including the drifting, harmony-filled “Red Tide,” the driving piano/guitar chugger “She’s A Saint Not A Celebrity” and the near perfect “27th Ave. Shuffle.”
Foxboro Hot Tubs, which includes a couple of other guys to fill out the garage sound, are wrapping up a 10-show mini-tour next week in California. They didn’t come anywhere near here, or the East Coast for that matter. So maybe they’ll be back out later. I’m guessing these songs are a lot of fun to hear live. Until then, get “Stop Drop and Roll!!!” and rock.
Those sneaky devils in Green Day find their inner garage rockers on “Stop Drop and Roll!!!,” a disc credited to their alter ego outfit, the Foxboro Hot Tubs.
A smart move on multiple levels, going garage lets the punk trio have fun while avoiding the pressure of a “serious” followup to its brilliant “American Idiot.” But by moving backward toward the ’60s, it shows the direct lineage from garage to today’s punk (or punk pop, to be more precise).
There are still some straight punk trappings that pop up here and there on “Stop Drop and Roll!!!.” For example, “Broadway” is all Billie Joe Armstrong vocals with a punkish bounce. But there’s some wild guitar and enough dynamic change to send it back to the garage.
As a rule, everything on the record swings far harder than anything released under the Green Day moniker, a must for real rock ’n’ roll spirit.
And the words, well, let’s just say they’re about girls and parties with nothing resembling politics anywhere to be found.
“Mother Baby” gets the hype on the CD’s retro cardboard, for good reason — it’s a genuine ’60s hookfest. But there are a lot of good tunes on the disc, including the drifting, harmony-filled “Red Tide,” the driving piano/guitar chugger “She’s A Saint Not A Celebrity” and the near perfect “27th Ave. Shuffle.”
Foxboro Hot Tubs, which includes a couple of other guys to fill out the garage sound, are wrapping up a 10-show mini-tour next week in California. They didn’t come anywhere near here, or the East Coast for that matter. So maybe they’ll be back out later. I’m guessing these songs are a lot of fun to hear live. Until then, get “Stop Drop and Roll!!!” and rock.
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