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They're from Youngstown, Ohio, and none of them are blonde. But for some reason, the name Hollywood Blondes is very
fitting for this three-piece pop-punk band, whose EP, 15 Minutes of Lame, actually does clock in at just over 15 minutes
(with 20 seconds to spare).
The first track, "Shyra's Not Shy", sounds remarkably like The Queers; so much in fact, that everytime I hear it I
forget that it's not (no kidding). The next two, "Tina is a Headcase" and "Back & Forth", along with "Shyra", are
easily the best. It's just a shame they're grouped together, leaving the 3 weakest to close out the disc.
Out of these "duds", I think the one I like best is "Another Girl", a song about getting dumped for, well, another girl.
"The Rat" is like Groovie Ghoulies meets Green Day. The final track, "Janine", almost has a My Aim is True-era
Elvis Costello kind of quality to it at times, albeit faster and louder. Don't get me wrong, I like all of these bands
(at least their earlier work). And though none of these songs are what I would call bad, they just suck compared to
the first half of the CD. Whoever decided on the order of the songs, in my opinion, coulda done a better job. Overall a
good effort, though.
Check out the Blondes' energetic live set. If nothing else, you'll hear hooks that'll stick in your head for weeks. No lie.
--Sam Sinister
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