This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
MEMBERS: Guitarist Matt McAuley and vocalist Brain F. McPeck — though at least one of them must also handle drum and keyboard chores.
HOMEBASE: The alley behind a video arcade in Lower East Side Manhattan.
MUSICAL GENRE: Teen-wastoid electro-rock. The A.R.E. stands for Attitude & Raw Energy, which is pretty much what they deliver on this ramshackle and rambunctious 10-track debut album. The energy comes from their demented musical hybrid, which upgrades cheeseball electroclash beats with sludgy headbanger guitars and creepy Suicide synths. The attitude comes from Brain’s stoner vocals and Spicoli-speak lyrical slogans like, “F—k you, pay me,” and “Dude, that’s cool / That’s f—ing awesome!” Indeed it is.
THE PERFECT ALBUM FOR: Cutting class, smoking dust and playing Space Invaders.
