Self-Titled

CD Cover Days of the New
Outpost / Universal

Review by Michael O'Donahue



45-second excerpt from "Shelf in the Room" (various formats)


Four teenage wunderkinds do the Pearl Jam Unplugged thing. Acoustic grunge? Well, why not? I believe the intent here was to generate dark, brooding intensity -- what it is, instead, is very long. Twelve lengthy tracks of adolescent doom and gloom, creative writing class poetry, guitar lessons and seasoned professionals twiddling the knobs, with an end result of HIT$, HIT$, HIT$. Curse Hanson for making it all possible -- ALL the labels need kids on their roster now.

I can't think of one memorable song on this CD -- meaning they're not trying to write anything as Done as catchy pop for the people -- but I really can't tell one song from another, except that, instead of Pearl Jam Unplugged, a couple songs sound sorta like Alice in Chains Unplugged.

A lack of catchiness is fine, and if this was a densely layered artistic statement it would make sense, but it's not. It's dull. Monotonous. If I were summing up these seventy-two minutes with one single word, that word would be "Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz."




First published in Drop-D Magazine on March 14, 1998

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