Lobster Records very own Whippersnapper have released a pretty much straight up punk rock record for their debut release. There is hardly a chance to draw breath as the US-fivesome rock out in what they describe as ‘America’s Favourite Pastime’. It’s just a pity that I cannot say listening to Whippersnapper is my favourite pastime…
‘Two Of A Kind’ starts things off in a way which we get used to during this 36 minute record. Sounding a lot like a Ten Foot Pole/Slick Shoes/Strung Out cross breed, Whippersnapper are hardly original. But the aforementioned song does rock. Singer Andy’s vocals aren’t loud enough in the mix in my opinion, but lyrically it more than holds its own. ‘Swing Shift’ has an interesting structure and a decent enough sound, especially with the pounding drums, but it just smacks of unoriginality. It’s not bad by any means, just tired – we’ve all heard this a million times before.
Cool 80’s style lead riffage welcomes the Strung Out-esque ‘Stand Your Ground’ but again it just seems like the vocals have been forgotten about in the mix. It’s really hard to pick out what the hell Andy is singing with the backing vocals almost as loud, meaning the two just blend into each other. But damn, this is a pacey record, which is definitely a redeeming feature. ‘Wrong Or Right’ again starts with a lead guitar riff, before the other guitar kicks in to create a cool sound. Slower than some of the other tracks it is one of the bands more melodic efforts and it works pretty well. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but still, it’s better than a poke in the eye with a big stick.
There are pick-slides aplenty during ‘Bottom Line‘ which has a cool beefed up sound, the benefit of having two talented guitarists. It’s one of the better tracks too, with an obvious chorus and a better all round structure, whilst ‘Tragic Flaw’ kicks off like the proverbial bull in a china shop. Boy, can drummer Pat Kerr really hammer that kit. But the song itself isn’t that great, with the same tone and style as many of the other songs. The chorus kicks ass though. ‘alt.guitar.com’ is a diabolical name for a song, make no mistake. So it’s a good job that the track itself has some redeeming figures.
‘Perfect World’ starts in the same way as every other song – longish lead guitar intro, pause, then fast and furious punk rock action. It’s predictable and dull, and has been heard at least four times already on this record alone. Or at least that is how it seems. So thank the Lord for ‘The System’, a vast improvement on the last couple of songs and ‘Silent Crime’ which is probably the cd’s standout track. Melodic and cool, oh and very, very fast, it shows most of the other tracks how it is really done. The obiligatory cover is provided in the shape of ‘Tuesday Morning’ by The Pogues, a ramshackle version of the Shane McGowan and co classic. And final song ‘Perceptions’ rounds things off pretty much in a way you would describe this album as a whole – solid, but not spectacular.
There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with Whippersnapper, just that they’re not that great. On the basis of this record, there are many other bands out there that do exactly the same thing but way better. If you like Strung Out and the really fast skate punk style, then give Whippersnapper a whirl. As I said, there’s nothing wrong with them, just you’ll be hard pushed to find that much right.
Paul Savage