Various

Boys on Top: A Punk Rock Tribute to Avril Lavigne

BY Sam SutherlandPublished Mar 1, 2005

What? This irony-free tribute record features a whack of punk bands that no one has ever heard of and, after a career move like this, no one ever will. With the possible exception of Lobster Records’ A Small Victory, who have never been that good but have also never been this bad, this is a collection of no-names whose unique interpretations of some of Avril’s top hits are, for the most part, utterly painful to listen to. More’s version of "My Happy Ending” sounds like some kind of terrible mistake, recorded through the built-in pinhole mic of a friend’s computer at three a.m. after doing too much ether. Then there’s the incredibly slick, almost listenable version of "I’m With You,” as performed by Denver Harbor. This track highlights a song which, for all cool posturing and shit-talking, is pretty damn catchy, and is possibly made even better by the cranked-up antics of Denver Harbor. Sadly, that is the nicest thing that can be said about this disc, leaving the listener with a return to their first question: What?
(Vitamin)

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