For the most part, Teenage Lobotomy hasn’t steered me towards anything I regret hearing. That’s not any different after having heard Marvelous Darlings. At the same time, though, I might rather listen to my roommate have a go at dropping a deuce in the morning before heading out to work. The band, a Canadian one at that, deals in punk, but of the poppiest variety possible. There’s no Blink 182 nonsense here. Or Green Day. But the guy who fronts this group can actually sing, which in a lot of cases, this one specifically, changes the music’s dynamic. A guy with a voice always sounds like he’s got one, even if fronting a hardcore band. So, taking that pent up punk energy and running it across a spate of singles – there’re six over at TL – resulted in something of an inconsistent listen despite my dismay after hearing “I Don’t Want to Go to the Party.”
By the time listeners make it to 2009’s Sleeping Like A Dead Man and it’s second track, “Call it a Night,” and that acoustic guitar, not to mention the harmonica, it’s just about time to give up. There’re a few moments of success, but not enough to warrant a further investigation.