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INTERVIEWS AND ARTICLES: "ALBUM REVIEW:
USA TODAY" The self-titled debut by Box Car Racer could be subtitled "A Midseason
Growth Spurt by Blink-182." Guitarist Tom DeLonge and drummer Travis
Barker, two-thirds of Blink, crafted this effervescent side project
with rhythm guitarist Dave Kennedy and bassist Anthony Celestino. Blink
singer Mark Hoppus joins his moonlighting bandmates on Elevator, further
blurring the line between a full Blink and a winking Blink. But one
glaring deviation sends Box Car down a different track. The music, while
upbeat and even giddy, steers away from adolescent pranks and pratfalls,
a welcome upgrade. The band creates a fresh breed of post-punk power
pop by roughing up bright melodies in bracing tunes such as All Systems
Go and Cat Like Thief, featuring the ragged growl of Rancid's Tim Armstrong.
With luck, the next Blink-182 album will steal a few moves from this
unpolished offshoot. CREDITS: EDNA GUNDERSEN // USA TODAY |