Reviews
Shredding Paper #16:
A nifty four way split featuring pop punk bands from Europe, each performing four songs. This starts off with England's Zatopeks, who take
care their cues from the QUeers. Their songs alternate between snooty punk pop to harmony filled Beach Boys influenced stuff. Next up are
the 20 Belows from Denmark, who are a speedier version of the Kung Fu Monkeys. How can you not dig a band where the singer sounds like they
are 12 years old! They're followed by the Apers out of the Netherlands, who produce more of that snotty Queers sound, and do it well. Last
up is twentyearsold from Spain and yes, it's more Ramones influenced pop punk, with a decided emphasis on pop, full of great harmonies and perky
tunes. Overall, it's a great overview of European pop punk, with some really fun summertime, driving with the top down tunes. - Steve
Now Wave magazine:
Those who insist that pop-punk music sucks ass are every bit as idiotic as those who claim that the institution of
marriage is worthless & stupid. Hell, even if the majority of marriages DO end in heartbreak, pain, depression, bitterness, violence, hatred, or
insanity, that's no reason to write off the very idea of wedded bliss (My Uncle Miroslav and Aunt Katrina, for example, have been married for 62
years and are still blissfully happy; they suck each other's toes every night and always eat canned prunes after sex). And just because a lot of
pop-punk bands suck ass, is it really wise to dismiss the entire GENRE?! With the possible exception of rap-metal, there IS no such thing as a
sucky genre. There are only sucky BANDS. And it's sucky bands that have tarnished the reputation of pop-punk music.
Thus I'm impressed by and grateful for the relentless travails of Whoa Oh Records, a label devoted entirely to nurturing and promoting decidedly
NON-sucky pop-punk bands like The Ergs and Teen Sensation Glasses. And where is the first place one ought to look for more non-sucky pop-punk bands?
EUROPE, dude! Ah, Europe---a land where loud, hooky, buzzsaw pop tunes still reign supreme in the form of a new generation's three-chord noise! This
latest Whoa Oh compact disc spectacular brings you four European pop-punk up-and-comers, so ya oughta know it's gonna be good! THE INTERNATIONAL
LANGUAGE OF LOVE essentially crams four CD EP's onto one inexpensive disc----that's a savings of 100% for you thrifty music consumers! If you're
like me and can't get enough of hearing leather-jacket-clad lovestruck youths blast out candy-sweet three-chord pop songs about girls and good
times, then you're in for a TREAT, pal!
Notes on the goods:
*Zatopeks
No different stylistically from many of its sucky contemporaries, this English band nonetheless totally rocks! Sure, it's basic 1-2-3-4
Ramones-core. But it's done to perfection! The kick-ass songs deliver the all-important slam-bang catchy choruses, and the vocals eschew
the patented "pop-punk dork-ball" approach in favor of a more appealing rock n' roll bark. Think Buddy Holly covering ROCKET TO RUSSIA.
*The 20 Belows
AWESOME! This band from Denmark steals the show here, dishing out four fast, giddy, cartoonish bubblebum punk tunes that you should LOVE if
you've got any taste at all. The Kung Fu Monkeys mating with Screeching Weasel? Perhaps! Cute, sappy, and oh-so-fucking catchy, these songs
will remind you of why you started listening to pop-punk in the first place. KILLER!!!!
*The Apers
You know these guys already. The Dutch superstars that inherited the Ramones-core throne once the Queers went to shit, the Apers are back with
four more blasts of tough, fun, by-the-book three-chord pop-punk. Great!
*Twentyyearsold
Early Connie Dungs style tuneage by the way of Spain. Snotty, tight, catchy songs that follow the formula to a T but don't seem like mere puked-up
rehash. Nothing groundbreaking, but pleasingly reminiscent of the glory days of Mutant Pop Records.
The bottom line:
Four cool bands times four songs a piece = one of the best pop-punk full-lengths in recent memory. And if you don't like pop-punk, why have
you even bothered to read this far?! - Rutledge
Maximum Rock N Roll #238:
"This is four-way split between the ZATOPEKS from the UK, the 20BELOWS from Denmark, the APERS from Holland and TWENTYEARSOLD from Spain.
All the bands play that pop punk sound that the kids go ga-ga over. It's pretty hit and miss- the ZATOPEKS pull off the traditional
RAMONES/SCREECHING WEASEL sound, the 20BELOWS do the nerdy high voice Mutant Pop wussy stuff and add keys for a nice touch (reminds me of
EGGHEAD at times), the APERS draw a heavy influence from Lookout! '96 bands (not their best tunes here, but still the highlight of the CD),
and, finally, TWENTYEARSOLD does a combination of the three previous bands. This is great for a pop punk kid who wants to hear what other
countries have to offer without having to pay huge import prices. - Bobby Manic
Vinyl A Go-Go:
The four way split is a successful but too often underused format. It's better than a compilation because you aren't
bombarded by way too many bands to decipher or remember. Instead you're given the prefect number of tracks (3 or 4) from only four different bands.
It's almost like having four wax singles pressed to plastic platter. And we all know singles are the best way to listen to rock and roll. They've got
just enough tracks to hook you and have you searching for more. With this four way split Whoa Oh Records has done some hunting for us and leaves us
without raw tips from flipping and flopping singles.
Whoa Oh Records are smart. They also love pop-punk. Combining these two talents they bring us four non-U.S. pop-punk acts: Zatopeks (UK), The 20belows
(Denmark), The Apers (Netherlands), and Twentyearsold (Spain). I nearly never hear non-U.S. pop-punk unless its being unleashed by Stardumb Records.
So it was great to get exposed to three non-Stardumb pop-punk suckling kids and have old Stardumb favorites The Apers to give me something to look
very forward to.
But let's not let The Apers windmilling, Converse-headed juggernaut status overshadow the others. All three hold their own. Zatopeks play snappy,
'50s inspired, buzzing, Queers-lead-laden, sweetly vocalized mid-'90s pop-punk. The 20belows sound a bit like a shrunken Love Songs For the
Retarded-era Queers (like it sounds as if you literally shrank Joe Queer and then smacked him with a sugar stick and stuck him in your stereo).
They're upbeat, catchy, and pop-punk. It's about girls. It's pop-punk. Then there's Twentyearsold with a skewed take on '90s pop-punk. The chords
are a bit larger and a bit fuzzier and the vocals are more drawn out, less snappy. There's also a bit of a Green Day influence.
The Apers are their usual pushy selves, blasting your ass to the pavement with ubber-pop-punk chords and Kevin's guttural, pleading, demanding
yelp. This batch of songs gets special status due to the inclusion of my favorite Apers tune yet, the ultra-catchy, foot swiveling "Gina," a girl
you don't hear much about.
So yeah, pop punk IS the international language of love. At least until all us sniveling pop-punk shits finally get the girl. Then we'll
probably start buzzing about something else.
PS: Ten cakes to Dyna for the fucking awesome cover and booklet layout. It's all totally fab and eye-inspiring.
Go Metric #17:
With gobs of Ramones-worshipping pop punk, Whoa Oh is picking up where Mutant Pop left off. The twist here is that each of the bands hails from
Europe, with the poppiest- and therefore best- of the four bands being Denmark's 20Belows. Ulrich's high pitch vocals sweeten the songs really
well and ought to go over with fans of the Lizards or Proms (circa their first ep). The Zatopeks rise above the pack with smarter than your average
pop punk band lyrics (for example, "Cobwebs On My Chucks"), the APers do likewise by sprinkling in some keyboards. Twetyearsold don't have a
recognizable twist on the pop punk formula, but they ain't bad either. A keeper.
Punktastic:
'The International Language Of Love' is quite a novel idea. It's a split CD featuring four different
pop-punk bands from four different European countries. The four bands on offer are the Zatopeks (UK), The 20belows (DK), The Apers (NL)
and Twentyyearsold (E). The album was released through Woah Oh Records and has each band performing four songs. Let the pop-punk commence...
UK act, the Zatopeks, open things up and are easily the most accomplished band on display. They are a band I have heard much about, but never
had the pleasure of hearing. They have hints of pop and street punk, served up with a big helping of 50's rock and roll. Tracks like 'Its Dull
When You Are Dead' and the superbly titled 'Cute Deaf Girl On The Underground' will grasp your attention in no time at all. Next up are The 20belows,
a band that are far more typically pop-punk by definition. The four songs they perform here are musically sound, but the high-pitch vocals are very
prone to grate after a while. The Apers come kicking and screaming into view with 'Always Be Around', a fast paced, infectious little number that
never dips in quality. Their dirty, swaggering pop-punk stylings continue through another three enjoyable tracks. Last up are Spain's Twentyyearsold,
playing generic, but nonetheless enjoyable three chord pop-punk, complete with some great vocal work. Special mention must go to the catchy 'Running
Girl'.
'The International Language Of Love' is a great little compilation showcasing four relatively unknown acts. The music on display is mostly strong and
if you love pop-punk then this will definitely float your boat. - Mark
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