Various Artists

Punk Goes Pop Volume 5

This review originally ran in AP 293.

Like its predecessors, Punk Goes Pop Volume 5 features several hits and a few misses. The album opens with Memphis May Fire’s version of Bruno Mars’ “Grenade.” The band kick up the tempo and throw in some well-placed guttural screams, giving the soulful ballad a dose of metal. The Maine go the opposite route, slowing things down on their version of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” before launching into the chorus with thick guitars and earnest vocals. However, some covers (the out-of-place rendition of Coldplay’s “Paradise” by Craig Owens; Breathe Carolina’s lackluster take on Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”) don’t work as well. Still, all is redeemed when Upon This Dawning cover Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.” It starts out normal enough, but when a throat-shredding shriek is unleashed, it makes the song a hell of a lot more enjoyable than the original.

Fearless http://www.fearlessrecords.com

Upon This Dawning’s “Call Me Maybe”