File Under: Pop-Punk rating: D tracks 1. Bad Advice 2. Yeh Yeh Yeh Yeh 3. Pullin All my Strings 4. Swan 5. Anything 6. Sitting in my Room 7. Dancecard related links Krushr

You know, I have always been a fan of Green Day. From their unique brand of early Gillman Street Punk Rock to their present day corporate radio-friendly exploits. I like them. What can I say? I am a sucker for pop-punk bands. That is of course, contingent on those pop-punk bands playing it well. Green Day plays it extremely well. Unfortunately for Krushr, they do not.

From the beginning, I took this CD in my hands and opened it to look at their lyrics sheet. It's always a good idea to get a good grasp as to What the band is about and it's something that I do almost immediately every time I get a new CD. So I rip open that annoying plastic covering on the CD with the anticipation of a 7-year-old on Christmas Morning and I gaze in utter disappointment. What the... Major Fopa! No lyric sheet! So how am I supposed to review this band by anything other than their music? Well, I guess I'll just have to make do. Let's hope they rock!

So, quickly I dart over to my computer and pop it in the CD Drive and prepare to rock. I've got my dancing shoes on and I am ready to go! Only… I hear this noise! This god awful noise! Stop the noise! Good lord, have mercy! So I hit stop and I try and figure out exactly what the issue was. Was my CD Drive acting up again? Hmmm. I don't think so. So I hit 'PLAY' again and that blasted noise starts yet again! Only this time I realize what it is. I tense up and my teeth start to chatter. My brow breaks out in a cold sweat. My eyes bouncing from left to right, back and forth! It can't be! It couldn't be! It shouldn't be! IT IS! OH MY GOD! IT'S... IT'S... IT'S KRUSHR and they are awful!

Okay, snap out of it Joe. ::smack:: Whew. Thanks. I needed that.

Look, I am not usually one to diss other people's efforts... well, yes I am. Strike that. Reverse it. But this really is not good music at all. The band is FAR from being tight and is at times, even sloppy. As far as the vocals are concerned... they actually aren't that bad. Think Mike Ness with a bad case of SARS.

Having been a person who has toured with bands and put out several records while running my record label years ago, I have to applaud them for their effort. Believe me, I have heard demos from bands that would make you want to pull a Van Gogh and slice your own ears off. It takes balls to play your music and release it yourself (which is what I think they did), but just because I applaud the effort doesn't mean everything else will get a good grade also.

My recommendation: If you are into a real "rock" style of pop punk, I would say give it a shot, but unless you are REALLY into that style of music, keep a 10 foot pole between you and this band at all times. And if you can't, find your best hangover cure and call out of work the next day. You'll be in no shape to work.

Joseph f. Kuzemka is a Contributing Writer. Contact him at jk@rockzone.com.