Elemeno P is a New Zealand band that recently opened for Sum 41 and Good Charlotte on their down-under tours. In similar style to those bands, on their debut album Love & Disrespect they pump out honest, hard, punky, party-pop leaning rock.
This may immediately scream "derivative" to some, but in fact, these guys (and one girl) have a real talent for hunting down and clubbing a seriously good pop tune on the head. It's a talent that has garnered them four top-ten hits at home and serious interest abroad.
Before you ask, no they are not a "Christian" band. Yes, the band's drummer, Scott Pearson, moonlights as the beats man for Kiwi worship band Solace, and they thank God explicitly in the album liner notes. But the songs are not theological expositions by any means, unless you believe religiously in partying.
As any MxPx fan would tell you, that's what this sort of music is best for. In thematic similarity to that punk trio, the lyrics are about love, girlfriends, dull jobs, friendship, parties and the everyday life of adolescence.
The album opener "Nirvana" kicks off with a great hook and the immortal lyric, "I like Nirvana. That doesn't mean I'll shoot myself." That pretty much gives the vibe of Elemeno P. They might give the nod to the Big Guy, but they aren't going to cut themselves off from the world and just play to a CCM crowd. They are getting out into the pubs and bars and sharing their positive, expletive-free songs with the masses. And kudos to them for that.
For all of its 36 minutes, the very catchy singles "Fast Times in Tahoe," "Nirvana," "Every Day's a Saturday," and "Verona" are definitely the stand out tracks, but one could imagine the rest fitting in on the airwaves with ease. Love & Disrespect is not deep, but is certainly more than just throwaway pop. Enjoy it.
4 tocks
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