You gotta admit that Lit has got a good shtick. The band members constantly pay homage to the ’50s and the Rat Pack with their onstage garb and martini lifestyle. Their punk-pop guise made them minor musical superstars in 1999 when their second record, A Place In The Sun, caught fire with the massive success of “My Own Worst Enemy” and strong tracks like “Miserable” (which featured Pamela Anderson in the video), “Ziplock” and “Four.”
The band puts on a great show, the members are really nice guys, and to top it all off, their newest album Atomic is actually pretty good. Initially, it’s not as strong as A Place In The Sun or the even harder-edged predecessor Tripping The Light Fantastic, but Atomic grows on you with each listen.
There aren’t any tracks on the latest release that seem to have crowd-sing-along written all over them — and that’s a good thing. In an age where you can’t attend a Creed concert without the entire audience singing along as if they were having a religious experience, Lit seem to have moved away from that and put together a fast and furious album that is strongly rooted in heavy pop melodies.
Singer Ajay Popoff and brother/guitarist Jeremy Popoff are a great musical tandem. Their styles complement each other perfectly, with Jeremy opting toward catchy, upbeat guitar chords and Ajay opting to sing in a bright tone on a majority of the album. Allen Shellenberger’s drums and Kevin Blades bass may be simple, but they round out the Lit sound and the overall feel of Atomic.
Atomic kicks off with “Something To Someone,” which begins with the roar of a crowd before Jeremy Popoff and Shellenberger pound out a fast-paced guitar/drum intro that cools off just in time for Ajay to sing his opening verse and lines like “I just want to be someone/ I just want to be something.”
“Addicted” is one of the strongest tracks on the album. The song opens with Ajay screaming, “She calls me up/ says she’s coming over/ so I run home/ just to wait around” on top of a simple, slightly distorted four-chord guitar sequence by brother Jeremy before the song opens up with a louder, drum-and-bass accompanied version of itself. The simple and driving sound of the track is what makes it one of the best on Atomic.
The first single, “Lipstick and Bruises,” isn’t as initially catchy as a track like “My Own Worst Enemy,” but is pretty solid nonetheless. Opening with a relentless drum beat and high-pitched guitar squeals, the song mutates through several versions of the same melody with the help of a variety of effects that complement the strong breakdown and simple chorus.
“Next Time Around” seems to be Atomic’s answer to “Miserable” from the last record. The track is one of the power ballads on the album. With its rising chorus and the clichéd symphony background, the track sways back and forth on the strength of Ajay and Jeremy’s great combination.
“She Comes,” “Live For This” and bonus track and Titan A.E. soundtrack gem “Over My Head” rely on simple and heavy guitar chords that form the foundation for the versatile vocals of singer Ajay Popoff.
Although not as strong as A Place In The Sun, Atomic is a collection of tracks that will grow on you with each listen. The softer parts of the record are softer than anything Lit have done, and the melodies seem to be heavier than their previous releases.
The band has great potential and if you’re looking for something light-hearted and straight-ahead, then Lit and its latest release Atomic are for you.
