Be Your Own Pet

Be Your Own Pet: Be Your Own PetBe Your Own Pet (2006)
Universal Music Group

Reviewer Rating: 4

User Rating:

Contributed by: AubinAubin
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on July 4th 2006One of the more curious things that has been happening lately is that many labels seem to spend at least a paragraph of each signing announcement talking about the age of their latest find; you've probably seen the clichés -- "barely out of high school" or "in their mid-teens" or "got their driver's.

One of the more curious things that has been happening lately is that many labels seem to spend at least a paragraph of each signing announcement talking about the age of their latest find; you've probably seen the clichés -- "barely out of high school" or "in their mid-teens" or "got their driver's license yesterday." I'm not sure what the goal of these is, perhaps it's a code to ask reviewers to cut the band some slack and just be impressed that an eighteen-year-old can play a power chord or that the band's vantage point is so small as to think music was invented in 1998 by Blink-182.

Be Your Own Pet is another one of those bands that came bundled with a press release stressing the young age of their members; but listening to their Ecstatic Peace! debut, Be Your Own Pet, you quickly realize that these kids have nothing to apologize for. Well-schooled in the garage rock of forebearers like the Stooges and the New Bomb Turks, the album is a veritable history lesson in classic punk rock and rock 'n' roll.

Much of course is also said about the band's rabid front-woman, the alternatingly adorable and acidic Jemina Pearl who coos, screams and swears her way through the album's admirably brief runtime. Of course, Pearl is backed by a similarly capable backing band who keep every dial up to 11, while drenched in a wonderfully raw production value which makes the "garage" part of garage rock perfectly clear.

The band name drops the Bad Brains who "totally rock" in "Let's Get Sandy," which runs at the kind of double-timed warp speed that would make those D.C. hardcore heroes proud. "Bunk Trunk Skunk" slows down long enough to let Pearl scream "I'm an independent motherfucker," dripping with pure aggression and attitude before the song kicks into faster gear.

The band's first video, "Bicycle Bicycle, You Are My Bicycle" is probably the slowest track on the album, but is brimming with energy; "Adventure" and "Fuuunnn" are pure New Bomb Turks in the vein of the band's classic album, Destroy Oh Boy!; though the band dials things down towards the end of the record, it's only a relative lull and still bolstered by plenty of greak hooks.

While some comparisons have been drawn to the equally acerbic garage rock of the pre-major label Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Be Your Own Pet has a more direct lineage to straight-forward punk rock acts like the Turks and the Hot Snakes. Be Your Own Pet may be the subject of a great deal of hype these days, but it's well-deserved and even more remarkable given the tender age of the band. One of the most addictive releases of 2006.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

RondoMondo (May 21, 2008)

I don't care what anyone says, this album slays. Most of the jerks on here commenting about the band, talking crap, haven't even heard a song by these guys. They are so fun, and the chick's voice fits perfectly with the music.

dontwantaname (January 19, 2008)

This album sucked.

SlowStupidHungry (July 6, 2006)

Wow, feeding, I'd certainly like to believe that more individual people have convictions than fucking bands.

feeeding5000 (July 6, 2006)

...And how can I have conviction? It's not as if I'm in a band, and certainly not one thats getting calls from major labels. I'm just some jerk repeating stupid PE lines about "defeating the fascist pig state".

feeeding5000 (July 6, 2006)

This is actually OK. Not great, but I'm rich enough to buy records that I don't really want.

Anonymous (July 6, 2006)

how come no one mentioned the fact that steve mcdonald produced this record? oh right, you dont know who he is because you can't find redd kross records at your mall. and someone mentioned the lack of soul--what the fuck: "im an independent motherfucker, and im here to take your money". that is real. and believeable. and its punk.

Anonymous (July 6, 2006)

fuck thurston more, fuck sonic youth, and fuck this band. fuck everything else too.

Anonymous (July 6, 2006)

ugh what is with this trend of shitty cover art that looks like the napoleon dynamite promo posters. why god? Why!?

shitya (July 5, 2006)

This band has been playing in Nashville for almost 3 years, and they grew out of The Sex and Jimmy Cushman, two of the only real punk bands here. give then a fuckin' break- maybe they'll get a few people to see that what passes for punk in this day and age is bullshit pop, and they'll open a few doors. They are not the enemy. The album may not be as grimey as their first stuff but it rocks hard. really hard.

Anonymous (July 5, 2006)

That's because you're a 15 year old wannabe crusty. Your elitism will fade with age as you realize that what you thought was "conviction" was actually just an excuse to get on a high horse about an issue that really does not matter at all (fuxorz major labelz!!).

feeeding5000 (July 5, 2006)

Dear god, how I want to hate them. These guys were written up pretty extensively in the Washington Post, so I was assuming they were very Yeah Yeah Yeahs-y. There is no way, no matter what they sound like, that I will support them.

Anonymous (July 5, 2006)

I am pretty sure Ladyhawk would jump ship
for the opportunity to be on the same label as...

BE YOUR OWN PETAFILE

LMFAO. That was terrible.
My last post ever people.
Thanks for the memories :)

joeg (July 5, 2006)

"No, their parents are Nashville record producers. It's not trivial at all"

sure it is. again, it's pointless to judge the band's music and convictions based on who their parents are, how much money they make or what level of education they've reached. that's just pure ignorance. joe strummer came from a privileged background. i guess you're going to tell me that rich lifestyle he grew up in fucked up the credibility of his future bands. ian mackaye's father worked for the white house press corps. i wonder how many more bands we all admire and love had prominent members who also grew up with privilege and money.

SlowStupidHungry (July 5, 2006)

"No, their parents are Nashville record producers. It's not trivial at all."

I'm sure their parents wrote this music.

darkstarm (July 5, 2006)

As they're on a major it's really pointless to judge a new band on its morals. From a musical standpoint, this band just fucking stomps on Tokyo.

Marlon (July 4, 2006)

Ladyhawk is on Jagjaga why would Thurston want to promote competition?

Marlon (July 4, 2006)

"As for their backgrounds, I don’t know what their parents do or how much money they make as it’s pretty trivial to judge a band based on that."

No, their parents are Nashville record producers. It's not trivial at all.

Anonymous (July 4, 2006)

Marlon gracias on the update

This score is for that blonde chicks 18 year old body.

I am gonna take her for a spin and save my $12 for drugs.

In the meantime I got 5 bands Thurston Moore
should push rather than this shitty gimmick.

1. Bishop Allen
2. The New Lows
3. Buildings Breeding
4. Hartley Goldstein
5. Ladyhawk

joeg (July 4, 2006)

I think will took the words right out of my mouth. I don’t see much of a hipster element here, just a bunch of kids playing a straight up fun, punk rock record more than any pre-garage-pre-post-proto-indie-rock whatever you want to categorize them as. I didn’t see a “clear” lack of emotion or passion in these kids the other night but I did see a pretty awesome live band. As for their backgrounds, I don’t know what their parents do or how much money they make as it’s pretty trivial to judge a band based on that. All I know is I like the energy of this record and I’ll be keeping an eye on them in the future.

Marlon (July 4, 2006)

"Once that blonde chick turns 18
I might give it another listen."

She already did. Looks like you've got a CD to spin.

SlowStupidHungry (July 4, 2006)

"The clear lack of any soul, emotion or passion is so obvious, this is clearly another record cashing in on the "indie-kids-go ironic-pre-punk-garage" scene.

The proto punk garage thing was perfected by artists some 40 years ago. Leave it at that. A rich, college going, yuppie offspring is incapable of replicating that original energy and spirit, whether or no they've mastered the aesthetics.

File under: I see through you.

- blade-runner"

Hahahaha what?

It's this kind of stuff that makes me like this band more and more. This isn't supposed to be some grand statement. It doesn't sound like pre-punk garage rock at all, either. It's just some teenagers playing fun garage rock. I don't see the image thing you do at all.

Hipsters? Whatever. I love this reactionary shit. Then most of the time the assholes end up being big fans of crappy 90's pop punk.

Rich college going yuppie? Dude, the Sonics and the Wailers were not really part of this social revolution like you seem to think. As many bands played to get girls and recognition back then as do today. Quit trying to mystify some period. Most garage rock bands back in the 60's were middle-class white kids.

LosPeptobismol (July 4, 2006)

>>>I cannot stand Hipster Garage music.

Look, I live roughly equidistant from Detroit and Ann Arbor so I know from hipster garage music and this ain't it. This band strikes me as taking a lot more influence from 90's indie rock and actual punk than anything else and I think they're a lot of fun. Yup.

adam (July 4, 2006)

From what I've heard this is really fun. I'll see if I can pick it up this week.

-adam

Anonymous (July 4, 2006)

This Band Blows Chunks.

Once that blonde chick turns 18
I might give it another listen.

Bad Gimmick.
Please Don't Support Terrorism.

givemeamuseumandillfillit (July 4, 2006)

No need to overanalyze it. These kids are a fun band.
I gotta admit they really surprised me, i didn't expect the girl to be puking all over the place and going off like she did.

Anonymous (July 4, 2006)

I cannot stand Hipster Garage music.

The clear lack of any soul, emotion or passion is so obvious, this is clearly another record cashing in on the "indie-kids-go ironic-pre-punk-garage" scene.

The proto punk garage thing was perfected by artists some 40 years ago. Leave it at that. A rich, college going, yuppie offspring is incapable of replicating that original energy and spirit, whether or no they've mastered the aesthetics.

File under: I see through you.

- blade-runner

etwiels88 (July 4, 2006)

Good album

kingofsuck (July 4, 2006)

I haven't heard this yet, but I did see them on Conan O'Brien a couple weeks ago, and I was impressed. That along with Aubin's review has persuaded me to pick this album up. If I'm disappointed, it's your head, Aubin!

joeg (July 4, 2006)

i agree with the review. it's a solid record. i saw them opening up for sonic youth and they were just killin it on stage.

and these guys are on thurston moore's label.