'Cats' packs little punch

Among the countless and sometimes needless pop albums that wallpaper music store windows, Local H gives guitar rock a much-needed kick in the pants on its latest release, "Pack Up the Cats." The band deceives listeners left and right with its huge sound. Merely a duo (Joe Daniels on drums and Scott Lucas on guitar and vocals), together the two churn out Local H's standard sound of mellow-yet-heavy mood music.

Overall, Local H plays out its standard sound on most of the new album's tracks. Toward the end of the record, the tracks "Deep Cut" and "Laminate Man" maintain the band's toughest sound and most balanced lyrics.

The band chose the album's best song as its first single. "All the Kids are Right" is an anthem of youthful pride and sincerity that recognizes some of the bad decisions made by baby-booming parents. In this track, Local H also acknowledges the bleak fears of a fanless future, which seems to suck up every band that breaks through the airwaves.

The pace is successfully slowed down for the minute long song "Lead Pipe Crunch," which follows the familiar and catchy "All the Kids Are Right" melody. The band winds down the album in a Nirvana-"Lithium-esque"-mood on "Lucky Time," which displays' Curtis' versatility as a vocalist.

But Local H drops the ball when it tries to cross musical boundaries, as it includes cat meows and purrs on "'Cha!', said the Kitty," and "Lucky." In fact, Local H's obsession with felines becomes a little frightening when you consider the album's title and cover art.

The duo can't seem to win in regards to lyrics either. Aside from a few songs, the band fails to focus on meaning and says almost anything for a rhyme. Track 10, "She hates my job," is simply the worst, as Curtis sings, "She'll admit it's not that bad/ I love my job, but so does her mom and dad." The album even starts off with lyrical vacancy on the first track, "All Right (Oh Yeah)." And if you haven't guessed, that's it for the song lyrics too.

"Pack Up the Cats," will probably disappoint fans of the band's previous release "As Good As Dead," but this album has a few treats for listeners ready and willing to throw out lyrical complexity in exchange for an afternoon of head banging.

09-29-98