The closest reference I can offer up for the Black Eyed Peas is the Fugees on speed. I’m reminded of some slapstick cartoon — the musical ideas, hooks, and lyrics come fast and furious. There are layers upon layers of inventive, interesting things to listen to.
My introduction to No Doubt was in Hawaii, riding in a car with my brother blasting Tragic Kingdom along with Sublime and Bob Marley. On Rock Steady, the 80s recycling vibe is in full force, as No Doubt pilfers Funky Town, Blondie, Gary Numan, Siouxie and the Banshees, Prince, and Boy George. For example, on the song Underneath It All, it’s impossible not to hear “Do you really want to hurt me … underneath it all.”
Maybe I’m overly immersed in art history at the moment, as Sonic Youth sounds to me the aural equivalent of Pollock painting: random, messy, seemingly inept, but on closer examination multilayered, crafty, and poetic. I’m not really a fan of their noisy, atonal garage band ethic but I can certainly appreciate it.
This dude has something to say, he’s a pretty good guitar player, but it’s also obvious he listens to a limited style of music (Blink 182?) and probably should be playing electric guitar with a band behind him. When a song features little more than acoustic guitar and vocals, it places an inordinate amount of weight on the lyrics, and Dashboard Confessional doesn’t quite seem up to the task.