Album Review: Various Artists- Punk Goes Pop (Vol. 3)

I've been meaning to start posting reviews on here for a while, but didn't know how to start it off. Do I post a review about an album I really liked, or one that the general public likes a lot? Thankfully, one of the most common feelings that unites people is hatred, and thanks to Fearless Records, that universal hatred can be placed on the Punk Goes... series, which has outstayed its welcome for far too long now. This batch of half-assed efforts included newcomers to the game, in addition to some budding superstars. Sadly, the fan bases for these bands has not translated to a good cover. Almost every song on this album is a cover of a rap song release in the last five years, which hasn't worked since The Devil Wears Prada inexplicably covered Big Tymers' "Still Fly" on Punk Goes Crunk. This is all the more puzzling when you consider the fact that all of these bands grew up in the 90s, which was actually a pretty good decade for pop music. Why not pay homage to the Nirvanas, Third Eye Blinds, or even the Backstreet Boys of the 90s instead of this blend of autotuned crap mainstream radio has become? Granted, there are a few instances of true creativity and talent, but those are so far and few between it makes the entire album rather forgettable. So how bad could Punk Goes Pop Vol. 3 really be, you ask? You're about to find out. Here's the wreckage, track-by-track:


(KEY: Cover Artist- "Song Name" (Original Artist)
1. Breathe Carolina – “Down” (Jay Sean ft. Lil Wayne)
BC have been featured in the series before, covering Miley Cyrus's "See You Again" on Punk Goes Pop Vol. 2. I'm sure you can guess how that went. Regardless, Fearless Records (who signed the band) saw fit to give BC another crack at the Punk Goes... game. The duo actually do a pretty good job at creating a more techno beat than Jay Sean's original, but its the vocals that ultimately cause the track to go down, down, down, down down. Puns aside, all the blame should be placed on whoever produced this track, or whoever gave the band the idea to scream Lil Wayne's verse. Weezy is one of the most unmistakable figures in music right now, and the awful interpretation of one of his better verses is a disservice to the rapper who was forced to sit in jail while BC burned their cover of the song to the ground. And I'm not sure what would be worse: jail, or another BC cover attempt. 


2. Woe, Is Me – “Hot ‘N Cold” (Katy Perry)
Woe, Is Me are the latest Rise records band to get a ton of buzz, and after their full-length was just released, the band's attempt to reach out to generate more buzz materialized in the form of their cover of "Hot 'N Cold," which isn't the worst cover on this compilation by any means, but that doesn't mean its worth keeping on your iTunes. It's breakdown-oriented, which will help get the moshers going, and the song is actually still pretty catchy, but that really give Katy Perry more credit for creating such an accessible song.

3. Artist Vs Poet – “Bad Romance” (Lady GaGa)
This is the first I'd ever heard of Av.P, and its actually pretty decent, but the fact that so many others have posted covers of the song on YouTube cheapens the efforts of the band. It's good for a few listens, sure, but chances are you'll still listen to the Lady Gaga version instead.

4. Mayday Parade – “In My Head” (Jason Derülo)
Ever since Mayday Parade covered "We Are the Champions" by Queen on Punk Goes Classic Rock, I've basically lost any interest or respect for the band, which only adds to the band's disappointing sophomore full-length Anywhere by Here. So, as you could have probably predicted, I don't like this cover either. I don't, so there you have it.

5. Asking Alexandria – “Right Now (Na Na Na)” (Akon)
Surprise, surprise: a screamo band covering a rap song. It's about as memorable as your last visit to the bathroom, and chances are, the results are exactly the same. Move along, kids; there's nothing to see here.

6. This Century – “Paper Planes” (M.I.A.)
I've never heard of This Century before, but given the seemingly blind ignorance they possessed to actually think they could pull off M.I.A.'s classic, I have to give them some credit for taking chances. Some chances don't pay off, however. "Paper Planes" is a song driven M.I.A.'s flow and delivery, and to hear someone other than the female MC deliver the chorus simply didn't feel right. A for effort, D for delivery. 

7. The Word Alive – “Heartless” (Kanye West)
Everything I said about Breathe Carolina or Asking Alexandria applies to The Word Alive as well.

8. Family Force 5 – “Bulletproof” (La Roux)
If for some reason the first seven tracks haven't completely diminished every shred of hope a listener had for this album, Family Force 5 reward that hope with a dark cover of "Bulletproof." The band does a great job of sticking to La Roux's original in that the track certainly makes you want to get up and dance. Behold! A sign of life is found, albeit halfway through the album.

9. Of Mice & Men – “Blame It” (Jamie Foxx ft. T-Pain)
While OM&M have only been around for a year or so, they've already gone through a change of frontmen, with ex-Sky Eats Airplane vocalist Jerry Rousch replacing the controversial Austin Carlile. For some reason, the band decided to have Rousch's first recorded track be a cover, and the results are just as I expected. While Rousch's burly delivery is a stark contrast from Carlile's high-pitched screams, but it proves to fit the band's sound pretty well, given this hack-job of a cover is our only glimpse of what the band have become.

10. Miss May I – “Run This Town” (Jay-Z ft. Kanye West & Rihanna)
Miss May I struck gold with their cover of Savage's "Swing," and Fearless obviously wanted to make a quick buck on the band's knack for finding brutality in rap songs. This time, Jay-Z and Kanye West are the victims, and though bassist/vocalist Ryan Neff handles the song's chorus surprisingly well, it's not enough for the band to break the mold the rest of these bad rap covers have created.

11. The Ready Set – “Airplanes” (B.o.B ft. Hayley Williams)
As if you haven't heard this song enough or seen it as someone's status on Facebook, The Ready Set decided it was time for a cover. While it doesn't really strike enough of a chord to be remembered, the song does a good job of making you wish you heard the original again.

12. Cute Is What We Aim For – “Dead And Gone” (T.I. ft. Justin Timberlake)
While the chorus of this is actually pretty good, its the verses in which Shaant Hickyan tries to rap and/or sing that really does the song in. There was potential here, but any of it that was created in the beginning was squandered within the first few seconds of the first verse.

13. Sparks The Rescue – “Need You Now” (Lady Antebellum)
If you managed to get this far through the album before removing it from your iTunes altogether, you'll be rewarded with the best cover to come out of the Punk Goes... series in a long time. Sparks the Rescue take on LadyAnt's surprise hit turns out to be just as heartfelt and emotional, and shows off just how good the often-overlooked band is, making the song feel like one of their own (some fans may find it to be similar to the band's "Skeleton"). This was the perfect move for Sparks to hold fans over before their new album is released next year. Its almost a shame "Need You Now" is on here, because it shows just how bad the rest of these songs are.

14. We Came As Romans – “My Love” (Justin Timberlake ft. T.I.)
Just as Sparks the Rescue is done restoring a shred of respect for the album, WeCAR open up a Justin Timberlake cover with a screamed version of the chorus, and that's when the album goes from kind of respectable to a complete wash. 


I know I sound like a real cynic after all of that, but I really did try to like some of these. I opened my mind, allowed myself to be open to all of the songs, even if I didn't like the band to begin with. But the truth is, some of these songs are so bad you can't make it all the way through. Respected rappers Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Lil' Wayne will be embarrassed if they ever take the time to hear screamed versions of their verses, and the bands on the disc went 0-for-2 in attempting to sing like Justin Timberlake. Honestly, the Punk Goes... series has become tough to stomach, and they may need to pull a Spider-Man and just reboot the whole thing, giving the established bands out there a chance to do something fun instead of having these mostly up-and-coming acts mail one in to try and get a few more fans. 


Too long? Here's the jist of it: It sucks; Sparks the Rescue's "Need You Now" and Family Force 5's "Bulletproof" are the only ones worth keeping on your iPod; Only Justin Timberlake can sing like Justin Timberlake, so everyone else should stop trying.