Atomic Bomb

Lit, the radio-friendly Orange County alt-rock ensemble, has potential to be pop music's savior. They just about have it down--the swingers-era attire, the martini-sipping mentality, the way too cool for you attitude--not to mention a hard-driving, air guitar-inspiring, chop-Oem-to-pieces style. With seven-inch sideburns, foot-long goatees and more tattoos than a calculator could count, they ooze rock star.

Need more convincing?

This is the band whose lead singer, A. Jay Popoff, was arrested after a show at UNC-Charlotte in 1999 for dropping his pants onstage, introducing the crowd to his li'l Popoff in the process. This is the band whose video for the single "Miserable" starred a gigantic, scantily-clad Pamela Anderson eating Lit members one by one, scarfing them down like musician McNuggets. An overplayed, MTV viewer's dream, it quickly became the all-time second most popular video of Ms. Anderson putting things in her mouth.

Without a doubt, the flair is there. The guys are ready, willing and able. Unfortunately, it just ain't happening. So what's their malfunction? After listening to Atomic, Lit's follow-up to 1999's platinum success, A Place in the Sun, it appears to be the old "too much of a good thing" undoing.

Don't misunderstand--the music still packs a punch, and guitarist Jeremy Popoff (A. Jay's brother) still plays like he's trying to rip you a new one. However, after 13 almost identical tracks, even the most devoted Lit fan needs a break. Imagine head banging through the entire CD. Amidst the constant noise and energy, a repetitious, indiscernible din develops, and before you know it, you've rocked yourself slam to sleepÉ or you've had a seizure. One word: overkill.

Lit's been compared to all sorts of acts--ranging from Green Day ("Something to Someone") to Elvis Costello ("The Last Time Again") to that fat guy from Smashmouth ("Drop D")--and it's true; there are similarities. But do you know who Lit sounds like more than anyone else? Lit. Over and over and over, Atomic is nothing more than A Place in the Sun regurgitated and repackaged. There's little variety, little sound refinement and absolutely no sign of growth as a band.

It's like a good movie that's just an hour too long. Thank God for intermission. "Happy in the Meantime," a mid-album breath of fresh air, slows it down for once. Featuring a string arrangement by David Campbell (Beck's father), it is exactly the sort of unique experimentation that Lit needs more of.

Atomic, in small doses, is harmless and even fun. Lit is almost there. They've got a spark--the next step is the explosion.