The Soapbox Spectacle ［10inch］

Chicago's Lucky Boys Confusion stand as one of the prime examples of the late-'90s trend towards (sometimes overly) melodic punk. Following in the steps of Green Day and Blink 182, these bands neatly trimmed away the less commercial, abrasive aspects of punk while playing up pop harmonies and guitar hooks. The difference between Lucky Boys and bands like Husker Du or Operation Ivy (who were responsible for innovating this type of punk) is that those bands always had a powerful guitar attack behind them. Not so with this new breed of punk -- for these bands, melody reigns supreme. This EP contains eight pre-made for radio "instant hits" that embody everything that is good and bad about this style. So while Lucky Boys Confusion might be trying too hard to sell records, no one could accuse them of lacking any melodic sense. Commercialistic attitude aside, the songs are catchy enough for pop/rock radio and follow in the footsteps of local Chicago pioneers Blue Meanies and Mustard Plug. ~ Ari Wiznitzer