Search - Various Artists :: Clockstoppers

Comprised of a diverse bunch of tracks easily found on other CDs, Clockstoppers never pushes very far into the sonic future. In fact, these songs seem eager to re-create bygone areas. Whether these memories are of breezy summer days (Smash Mouth, Fenix*TX), the 1980s (Sugar Ray's synth-sational cover of Steve Miller's "Abracadabra," Uncle Kracker's heartfelt acoustic rendition of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time"), or love's emotional roller coaster (Blink 182, Third Eye Blind), Clockstoppers sounds like an upbeat, alt-rock-heavy trip down memory lane. Nevertheless, new tracks from emo-faves A New Found Glory and rapper Lil' J, along with cuts from garage-rock hipsters the Dandy Warhols and rock-hip-hopper Scapegoat Wax, do have a fresh vibe that breaks from the otherwise too-familiar atmosphere. Though these musical jumps from rock to punk to pop and rap don't always mesh well together either, Clockstoppers is a pleasant, if not overwhelmingly essential, snapshot of the current state of music. --Annie Zaleski