Search - Shame Idols :: I Got Time

The Shame Idols have got everything going their way. First, they were discovered by the Young Fresh Fellows, plucked from their hometown of Birmingham, Alabama and sent to Seattle where they are thrown into the studio with Conrad Uno (Mudhoney and Young Fresh Fellows producer). Then they sign a cozy deal with Frontier, and the cherry on top of their mountainous, have-it- your-goddamn-way sundae is they get Love & Rockets artist Jaime Hernandez to do their cover art. Either these guys lead charmed lives, or they've got the kind of connections that can only be spoken about in hushed tones in dark places. What's worse is they've got the music to back up all this wonderfulness that's been heaped upon them. They deserve everything they got, because I Got Time is one smoking set of punk-fueled pop. The opening avalanche of drums and slashing chords in "Superman" immediately brings to mind a friendly meeting of the Ramones, the Fluid, and Cheap Trick. The verses are almost as hook-laden as their choruses and they work enough variety (a bit of psychedelia, lots of humor) into the tunes to keep the 15 tracks from becoming a blur. It's hard not to be a little suspicious of something that seems so perfect. Even the production is spotless. Still, it's easy enough just to lose yourself in all of the great hip-shakin' tunes and forget that this is the best combination of pop and punk you're likely to hear anytime soon. --Adem Tepedelen