Reviews
 Keep It Simple
Van Morrison
Roger McGuinn @ the Huntington IMAC, Long Island, NY - April 4, 2008
Emily Saxe @ the Allen Room/Jazz at Lincoln Center - April 5, 2008
Another Country
Tift Merritt
Be Your Own Pet
Get Awkward
Paul McCartney – The McCartney Years (DVD)
Juno – Music from the Motion Picture
Various Artists
Yes - Their Definitive Story
Day and Night Driving
Seven Mary Three
InterMedia Arts Center 2/2/08
Huntington, NY
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Get Awkward
If the gang on “Scooby-Doo” met Karen O and decided to form a punk band, it would probably sound a lot like Be Your Own Pet. Part Saturday morning cartoon, part suburban punk, Be Your Own Pet pack relentlessly raucous rhythms and frenzied attitude into twelve songs that rush by like a Japanese Bullet Train. It takes less than thirty minutes to play all of ‘Get Awkward,’ but that’s enough to leave a permanent mark.
Most of the bandmembers have reached their golden (post-teen) years since their debut album was released two tears ago, but thankfully, they haven’t quite yet settled into maturity. There’s still plenty of songs about feeling awkward (see the title?) such as “The Beast Within,” and goofy youth fantasy tunes like “Zombie Graveyard Party,” but most of the album revolves around experiences that have befallen them since their rise to recognition (or are they already ‘famous’?), combining lots of attitude with a generous dose of humor. “Bitches Leave” is a funny and poignant rant about girls who bring their attitude backstage. “You’re a Waste” summarizes a blown relationship with an idiot ex, with these lines; “Go ahead and tell your sob story, all I have to say about it is ‘Blow Me’. As sung by female vocalist Jemina Pearl, the line cuts to the bone while it makes you laugh.
Perhaps the best thing about Be Your Own Pet is their ability to communicate beyond their own peer group. Anybody who listened to early Blondie or the Buzzcocks will appreciate the intelligent songcraft of this band’s songwriting. If you have to grow up, you may as well enjoy it, but on “Get Awkward,” Be Your Own Pet make it clear that they are too busy enjoying themselves to be bothered. Since they can make music as infectious as this, why should they?
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