Guitars, Drums, Tones, and Saxophones

Teenage Bottlerocket - Warning Device

So apparently, there’s a punk scene in Wyoming. This probably comes as a surprise to many, as there’s not a lot that- as I understand it- goes on in Wyoming. Half the time I question the state’s very existence, because really, have you ever met anyone from Wyoming? The odds are no, you haven’t.

But it exists, there are people there, and some of them even play punk rock.

Teenage Bottlerocket formed from the remnants of Homeless Wonders, featuring twin brothers Ray and Brandon, along with (after their first, vinyl-only album Another Way) Kody, formerly of the Lillingtons. Miguel is the last member of the band, and as far as I can tell, he has no previous credits to his name. The Wikipedia article scarcely mentions him.

Warning Device picks up where previous album, Total, left off; the band’s dual vocals (provided by Ray and Kody) are intact. The songs themselves are very reminiscent of the Ramones- they’re short bursts of pop tunes played very hard. So it’s straight up pop-punk. The tempos go from racing (“Bottlerocket,” “Social Life”) to more mid-paced (“Pacemaker”). If you’ve listened to Teenage Bottlerocket before, you’ve witnessed their song style, and how while some of the songs present a narrative, others are content to rock out and repeat a line or two for the duration of the song. See “She’s Not the One” or opening song “Bottlerocket.”

The songs here are really fun, and one can see how this band would be a great live act. There’s not a whole lot of depth to the music, but not everything needs to be revelatory; sometimes we just want to have fun at a show, and the guys in TBR are completely down with that. There are a couple of clunkers here (“Pacemaker” stand out in my mind) but overall the material is strong. Definitely on-par with the excellent Total, and a good indication that Teenage Bottlerocket will be able to sustain its quality. One of the most fun releases of 2008.

Tags: teenage bottlerocket