Punk Goes Pop Volume 2

After a flop called Punk Goes Pop volume one, Fearless Records didn't exactly give up. The Punk Goes series of albums are great, don't get me wrong, but their first attempt at going Pop was sincerely wretched. The only band any mainstream music listener could identify off the first Punk Goes Pop CD is Yellowcard, and even their cover of Everywhere by Michelle Branch was mediocre.

And after such albums like Punk Goes Acoustic 1 and 2, Punk Goes Metal, Punk Goes 60's-90's, and finally the ever-popular Punk Goes Crunk, Fearless finally made up for their first venture into the Pop world!

Punk Goes Pop Volume 2 consists of the following bands, and their tracks:

1. Alesana - What Goes Around... by Justin Timberlake
2. Silverstein - Apologize by One Republic
3. August Burns Red - ...Baby One More Time by Britney Spears
4. Mayday Parade - When I Grow Up by Pussycat Dolls
5. A Day to Remember - Over My Head (Cable Car) by The Fray
6. Escape the Fate - Smooth by Santana feat. Rob Thomas
7. There For Tomorrow - Ice Box by Omarion
8. Chiodos - Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger
9. Bayside - Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston
10. Breathe Carolina - See You Again by Miley Cyrus
11. The Cab - Disturbia by Rihanna
12. A Static Lullaby - Toxic by Britney Spears
13. Four Year Strong - Love Song by Sara Bareilles
14. Attack Attack! - I Kissed a Girl by Katy Perry

See a few bands on that list that you like? I certainly saw a few more bands that I at least recognized in comparison to the first Punk Goes Pop compact disc! Bands like Silverstein, Mayday Parade, Escape The Fate, and The Cab are the artists that make me think, "This Pop attempt should have been the first one."

As for the quality of the songs, some prospered and others fell behind. My favorite track, besides the fact that it's the oldest song on the track list, is Smooth, redone by Escape The Fate. They definitely personified the tone of the song in the same way Santana and Rob Thomas had when the song was first released in 2000.

Another favorite of mine is Toxic redone by A Static Lullaby. If you haven't heard this remake, go to Youtube now! It's the single most amazing version of any Brittney Spears song I've ever heard in my life, and I think ASL are brilliant with the way they interpreted the song. With a mixture of Dan Arnold's singing vocals and Joe Brown's screams, this is one song that allows you to have fun as a punk who just wants their own version of a B. Spears song!

Silverstein did a great job, too! They took a song by One Republic (mixed by Timberland), and completely made it their own! Being an avid Silverstein fan in the first place, I believe that they poured their hearts into what they were doing, making a song that I personally don't like into something that I do enjoy!

Finally, I really, really think that, if you're a Mayday Parade fan to the very least extent, When I Grow Up is definitely something you'll really love listening to! Derek Sanders is certainly nothing like Nicole from PCD, but that doesn't seem to matter! The Mayday boys take a song about, well, the Pussy Cat Dolls and make it about Mayday Parade, and you can tell such a thing without even listening to their beat and guitars.

In any world, Punk Goes Pop volume two is certainly more mainstream friendly. I myself knew more bands just by name off of the track list than the first Pop album, and because of that I know what I'm in for when I listen to each cover.

Punk Goes Pop volume 2 is available everywhere now!