Boy Hits Car
Nu metal might be the movement we should thank for flushing out some of rock's hoarier old clichés, but with the rock & roll ranks beginning to resemble a Marine roll call, what with all those bulging biceps and close haircuts, it's comforting that the self-titled release from Los Angeles's Boy Hits Car is able to reconcile the savage razor's edge ofPapa Roachwith some of the flamboyancy of alternative music. Their second album offers a number of pleasantly contrary moments, not the least of which include "The Rebirth" (which summons recollections of theScreaming Trees) and "As I Watch the Sun F**k the Ocean" (recallingJane's Addiction). While the band falls short in spots, their bit-of-this, bit-of-that dynamic works surprisingly smoothly throughout, as rolls of heavy riffage break over flute, bongo, and tabla. Boy Hits Car might be a little too off-center to topple the likes of Papa Roach from nu metal's zenith, but this fine album is a reminder that an alternative take on a genre can restore faith in the definite article.--Louis Pattison