Atom and his Package'Attention! Blah Blah Blah'

Hopeless Records

Grade: C -

"Attention! Blah Blah Blah," the newest CD by Atom and His Package, will be released next month on Hopeless records. The artist, Atom, produces his music using a few sequences and synthesizers aptly nicknamed "the package" and a guitar.

Atom, also known as Adam Goren, originally hails from Philadelphia, P.a. Not your stereotypical rock star, this bespectacled, self-proclaimed geek earned his master's degree in neuroscience. Goren, who helps run an independent record label called File 13, produces all of his own records.

His unconventional one-man punk band and amusingly honest lyrics have elicited both praise and criticism. His sound is reminiscent of eighties synthesized pop, and his silly lyrics, which are often statements about pop culture, can be compared to those of Weird Al Yancovich and Tenacious D.

Goren's nasal voice sounds like Mike Diamond of the Beastie Boys with a cold. While his sound is a refreshingly unique mix of '80s pop and the radio friendly punk of Green Day and Blink 182, his whiny voice gets to be very annoying at times.

His newest CD starts out with a song called "Possession," which Atom is quick to point out shouldn't be confused with the song by Danzig. The song, which has a fast, vibrating drum-like beat, is somewhat catchy despite the constant repetition of only a few lines of lyrics. A few other tracks that contain fast, catchy beats are "Mustache T.V." and "I, Professional."

In the songs, "Does Anyone Else in This Room Want to Marry His or Her Own Grandmother?" and "Out to Everyone," Goren displays his limited melodic talent as a singer. Although the former song has a solid melody, the lyrics about wanting to marry his grandmother are more disturbing than they are artistic or endearing.

Despite the silliness of most of his songs, Atom likes to make a point. In the song called, "The Palestinians Are NOT the Same Thing as the Rebel Alliance, Jackass," Goren criticizes the United States' view of the situation in the Middle East and the largely ignorant perception of the Palestinians by many Americans.

One of his few positive attributes is Goren's willingness to attack various political and social issues. In addition to discussing the Middle-East conflict, Goren also tackles racial tensions in "If You Own the Washington Redskins You are a Cock."

But, just when Goren shows that he can be smart and sensitive to current issues, he throws the listeners for a loop with his last track, "Matt Werth Speaks." Unlike the rest of the songs, this is a purely spoken track containing nonsensical commentary spoken in a Kermit the Frog-type voice. The track is not only a random and unnecessary addition, but it also confuses the listener, turning him or her off from whatever enjoyment was taken from the previous tracks.

Unfortunately, Goren's sense of humor and political consciousness are not enough to compensate for his lack of talent. His wacky demeanor, whiny voice and bizarre mixes -- which are meant to entertain -- alientate the listener instead. Goren has yet to realize that there is a reason why '80s synthesizer pop never quite made a comeback.