Punk Goes Crappy Vol.2

Various Artists
"Punk Goes Acoustic 2"
(Fearless)

Before they signed bands like Portugal the Man, Gatsby's American Dream and Sugarcult, Fearless Records were widely known for their "Punk Goes..." series, in which they commissioned the hottest bands in the scene to participate in whatever theme the compilation was based on. There was "Punk Goes Metal," "Punk Goes 80's," "Punk Goes Pop," "Punk Goes 90's," and, of course, "Punk Goes Acoustic." The last one was widely successful and became Fearless' cornerstone release. Attempting to make lightning strike twice, Fearless is now unleashing a sequel, four years later, featuring a new crop of pop-punk bands to whet the appetites of message board miscreants.

The bad thing about thematic compilations is that not all songs translate well when it's stripped down. In most cases, none of these songs are very good, period. Daphne Loves Derby's "Sun" is pretty boring and their singer still cannot sing, the fact that the songs are bare bones, really showcases his inability to carry a note. Silverstein's "Red Light Pledge" is an explosive song on their debut, but without drums or the screaming, it just sounds like another band trying to rip off Dashboard Confessional.

The roster on this reads like a fantasy list for the readers of Absolutepunk.net, but in reality many of these tunes are just hastily put together and not very well thought out. If you're going to re-record an existing song as a different incarnation, change it up. The only saving grace is Say Anything's reworking of "Woe" with prominently features ragtime pianos beneath Max Bemis' lyrical genius.

If Fearless plans on milking this "Punk Goes..." concept then perhaps they can be bit more daring, "Punk Goes Latin Disco" perhaps? Otherwise, this is just another bargain bin disappointment.