Be Your Own Pet - Be Your Own Pet

Imagine the Yeah Yeah Yeahs meet No Doubt then cross with Xanax and mix in with raw energy and you get Nashville's best kept punk rock secret - Be Your Own Pet!

The album may be short, totaling only thirty-three minutes, but it certainly is sweet! From the stomping brilliance of opening track "Thresher's Flail" to the mellower, closing track "Ouch", the first full length from the band is packed full of punches, but the good kind.

Fans of their earlier EPs will not be disappointed as Be Your Own Pet pull off a difficult task - maintaining raw energy while still showing progression and somewhat maturity. Some of the songs will even be familiar to those of you who own Damn Damn Leash and Adventure, with four songs making the cut.

Those who are unfamiliar with the band will also not be disappointed. The screeching vocals of Jemina Pearl and her questionable sanity (most notable on "Bog", where she sings about drowning her boyfriend - "want to get a cat, my boyfriend wants a dog, we got into a fight, I drowned him in the bog... I'm sorry, I'm not sorry") will have you instantly hooked and converting after the first listening. The thrashing riffs and catchy beats also propel this punk masterpiece into a cult phenomenon. Simply Beautiful. There shall be disciples everywhere!

The album may be hard to come by outside of the states (for those of you in the UK try FOPP) but it is worth the search! Alternatively, you can always download the album from iTunes.

Warning however: this band are not for the fainthearted - it belongs to a select genre, one that cannot defined, one that will never become mainstream - but it is this that is part of their beauty. Be Your Own Pet is one for the music purists, the term "sell out" does not even enter the mind. The lyrical genius ("Elegant Rubble" from "Adventure" ) and the insane live shows put on by this band are among the greatest in an era where new and original are scarce.

Bittersweet, Be Your Own Pet is a riot!