Having failed to score commercially with their debut album
Waste of Mind
,
Zebrahead
returns two years later with more of the same, which is to say fast-paced
hard rock
on which
Justin Mauriello
's male adolescent musings are augmented by
Ali Tabatabaee
's aggressive raps. At their best, on the title song (sort of a musical version of a
Farrelly Brothers
movie in under three minutes), the group approaches the sound of
Cheap Trick
, with their shimmering guitar lines, furious rhythm playing, and
Mauriello
's self-deprecating, humorous lyrics. A few other songs, notably
"The Hell That Is My Life"
and
"Wasted,"
are almost as effective, but much of
's music is too busy for its own good, and when they attempt social commentary on
"What's Goin' On?"
(where have we seen that title before?) the results are embarrassing, while as a change of pace like
"Livin' Libido Loco"
is more reminiscent of
Barry Manilow
than
Ricky Martin
. The hidden track at the end of the album is a prank call made by
to
Sony Music
in which he impersonates his mother and demands to know when he is going to start seeing some money from his record contract. It may indicate the band will pack it in unless
Playmate of the Year
breaks through, but even with a tie-in to
Playboy
magazine that still seems like a long shot. ~ William Ruhlmann