Adorkables
Brokenhearted (2005, Self-released)

Pop-punk from California is always welcome in my home. Nothing particularly surprising here, but that's the rock you swallow with the genre as a whole. In fact I'd be more impressed if I hadn't read the bio sheet. The Adorkables were founded with the notion that 3-chord pop punk is easy, and that if some anyone can pick a guitar and do it, certainly Eric, Bill, and Tommy can do it better. What I assumed would be a superior collection of pop punk nuggets was just another rock to swallow. Seven basic spunky tunes, very simple rhymes, and harmonies that hit and miss all point toward the work of amateurs.

That being said, even amateurs can make their mark. "Group Home" gets stuck in your head after a while, but "Needlepoint Girl" is the highlight of the disc, finally combining all necessary elements (catchy melody, speedy chorus) into a pop punk gem. "Christina Ricci", while also an ok tune, will get no recommendation from me (see: My long-running fight with pop punk bands to stop writing songs about celebrity girls). Overall the disc is a wash with me, but in the end I hope the Adorkables return with some experience under their belt. I'm sure they've got another hit in them.

-Mark Hughson 10/12/05