Wheatus - Wheatus

Smart, melodic, pop/punk/metal in the grand tradition, with stylistic nods to what seems like every genre practitioner, from Blink 182 to Cheap Trick to the early Who. The songs here are full of anthemic choruses, huge washes of guitar, and appealingly winsome singing by writer/guitarist Brendan Brown. Lyrically, there's a certain snot-nosed suburban teenage sensibility reminiscent of Weezer, and for those with long memories, even the first Dictators album, although Brown's mostly interested in wordplay. Among the album's best numbers are the cheerfully hook-laden "Teenage Dirtbag" (which brings to two the number of puzzling references to Iron Maiden that appear here); "Love is a Mutt From Hell," a very funny he said-she said song with a glorious, soaring chorus; and the equally melodic "Hump 'Em N' Dump 'Em," which appears to be about a one-night stand gone horribly wrong (she eats his cat). Basically there's nothing here that isn't rewarding on some level. A great debut.(Loud Guitar Dudes)