Reviews

Hammel on Trial

Songs For Parents Who Enjoy Drugs

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Review Date: 2006-06-30

Riddle me this -- if an album has a tremendous concept and cunning, intellectual, biting -- and often times hilarious -- lyrics, but also has vocals that just aren't that great, then what do you really have? Songs For Parents Who Enjoy Drugs by Hammell On Trial begs this question, and I have been trying to find the correct answer in the weeks since I received it.

Described as a "one man punk band," Hammell On Trial's latest album's inspiration came from Ed Hammel's experience raising his three-year-old son Detroit, who is a central character throughout the album. Straight from the mouth of Ed himself, he sums it up thusly: "This album is for all those liberal-minded people who can't fathom raising a child in this world of non-tolerance."

You name it and Hammel sings about it, from the crucial decision about whether to tell the truth to Detroit about his life or to lie and try to protect him from what he has experienced, to jerking off, and then back to explaining George Bush's actions to your kid; hell, he even names a song after Anne Coulter's snatch.

And all the while it manages to be punk as fuck…no, not punk in the way Less Than Jake is, but punk in the way Joe Strummer was; you know, intellectual punk. Not having the greatest voice isn't as big of an issue in punk music, and that helps Hamell because he really can't sing that well. In small doses I can tolerate it, but over the entire album it becomes an issue.

"Inquiring Minds" is the opening track, and it introduces you to the album's theme right away. Will I tell my kid about the three years I spent smoking pot on a daily basis with Brandon? Will I be pissed off if my son or daughter decides to start having sex as young as I did or younger? What if I hear they are screwing around in houses that are being built in the middle of the night? I just don't think I will. When push comes to shove I expect I will lie, and that is the same decision Hamell makes. While he sings about making this decision he is accompanied by a catchy surf guitar riff. Listening to the back and forth between Hamell's "son," his bullshit answers and the actual answers that we hear him thinking in his head will have you laughing out loud. This is Hamell at his best.

Later on in the album Hamell again is dealing with his son on "Values." Keep in mind that this is fiction, and I am 99 percent sure Hamell's kid didn't actually say these things, but there is still truth to be found in the exaggeration. What it boils down to is that Detroit doesn't want to pick up his toys or work on learning the alphabet and uses politics to get out of it. In reality, this is just a creative way for Hamell to rap about his beef with Bush's politics in the most straightforward, easy-to-understand way possible. So let me set the scene: Detroit has just explained, in great detail, what is going on in Iraq and the fact that no WMDs were found, and Hamell has agreed; and then, Detroit has this to say:

Detroit: "Dad I ain't picking up my FUCKING toys."

Hamell: "I said fine, fuck it/Doesn't take a lot of brains to see that in this new world chaos reigns/If it don't make sense no more take off your diaper take a shit on the floor/Values!/Values!/Values!"

You starting to catch on yet? Still, if you really want to burst out into laughter "Coulter's Snatch" is the track for you. Sure, it is rather juvenile and brutally vulgar, but that is the beauty of it. I am sick of so many passive aggressive songs about the same thing, you know? It is refreshing to hear Hamell come right out and literally say "So you ask me what I think/I think Ann Coulter's got a cunt that stinks." Hamell doesn't beat around the bush (I know, but I had to) and Coulter isn't the only one he attacks; Condeleeza Rice and Rumsfield are also on the chopping block. I find that in these harder, rockin' punk tracks that Hamell's voice doesn't bother me at all.

When it comes down to it, Songs For Parents Who Enjoy Drugs ends up being like one of those movies that either has an awesome script but questionable acting or tremendous acting with a few major plot holes. It isn't bad, but isn't one for the ages either. You never regret seeing those movies though, and I don't regret at all listening to this album. Just go in knowing what you are getting.

Songs to Hear: "Inquiring Minds," "Pretty Colours," "Coulter's Snatch," "Values," "Civil Disobedience"

Score: 7.3

- Dan