Amazon.comChicago's Smoking Popes deliver another stellar batch of buzzsaw punk-pop anthems about love and love lost on their second major-label album. Josh Caterer's emotional crooning still sounds a lot like Morrissey's, but mopey teenagers would be much better off listening to the Popes than Moz, because the joy inherent in their tunes always points the way out for the worst case of the blues. (Just pogo a bit, and everything is sure to feel better.) "Let's hear it for promises and something sealed with a kiss/Let's hear it for big mistakes that you just couldn't resist," Josh sings in "Let's Hear It for Love," which is pretty much the band's theme song. But the group really won my heart with the cover of "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. How can you help but love these guys? --Jim Derogatis
REVIEW
"Destination" Aced! There are few albums I can just pop into my cd player and listen to straight through, let alone be patient enough to listen to them for that long. "Destination Failure" is one of them. Having only two Smoking Popes cds, this is my favorite among the two. It blends good light-hearted rock, catchy lyrics, and awesome vocals together to come up with a treat that would taste like a dark chocolate Ghirardelli bar times ten (coming from a chocolate lover, that is VERY good). The best song on the album, "No More Smiles," is a remorseful tune about the heartbreak of love. It passes the test of being a true-to-life song. "I Know That You Love Me," which is equally good and catchy, is actually, as I once heard Josh mention in an interview, a song about faith and having a relationship with God. The greatest thing about this song is you could interperet it that way--or you could just pass it off as another love song, which still makes it equally fun. "Let's Hear It For Love" and "Pure Imagination" (a great rendition of the "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" song) are above par, as is "Megan" and "Capital Cristine". It's a shame that this wonderous band had to break up. They will definitely be missed in Chicago by their adoring fans, and in other parts of the US (maybe even the world. Smoke on, Popes!
*I actually knew Josh's wife and had the pleasure of meeting Josh one time at a party. He was, overall, a very cool guy and I find it very saddening that their music is the only memory they left behind for us.
