It's my policy that the first song of an album usually sets up the whole mood and personality of the record. It can be a make-or-break moment, so most artists choose it with care. The Teenage Prayers throws a big "fuck you" to this system, and hash out a courageous genre-bendy punk anthem with "I Like It." The song is filled with trademark suburban angst punk guitars howling under layered synths, gospel organs and ominous ominous jazz chords. Despite all these clashing elements, The Teenage Prayers somehow make it work, breeding an odd indie mixture of Bob Dylan, Sex Pistols and Miles Davis. It's got the pristine haunting quality of My Funny Valentine and the in-your-face ruggedness of the Pistols' Anarchy in the UK.

The second track, "I'll Never Let You Go," is a wild 50's throwback—Stray Cats style—that you'll never see coming, and it's so catchy, you can't help tapping your feet to it. From this point on I realized that this group may give off an indie feel, but in reality they have a broad pop sensibility. The next track "No Sex" is a hybrid funk-rock tune that I can take or leave. I choose to leave it. Perhaps it needs more listening done on my part, but I wouldn't throw it the keeper bag. It sounds so severely lackluster, especially when next to tracks like "Good Voodoo," a track that would've made Jeff Buckley wet himself. It's good 'ole fashion dirty punk with only one flaw: It isn't long enough!

"I'm in Love Again" is another one of those tracks that tries a little too hard to be different. The Prayers whip out the R&B clavs and Fender Rhodes, making the track sound like something Elvis Costello dreamed up and left in the toilet. But it's growing on me. The next tune "Don't Call" sounds like an outtake from the Beatles' Yellow Submarine, cementing the notion that The Teenage Prayers are one of the most unorthodox Indie bands around. "Don't Call" is very well put together, written like an old fashion jazz or R&B standard—definitely something that deserves a few listens. "Heiroglyph" has a reggae rhythm that will not be denied! With campy Gorillaz-like vocals and guitar stabs, it's a song that would make Marley himself rise from the grave and light up a doobie. However, they do throw a curveball midway into the song: It begins to sound a lot like Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," which is totally unnecessary, but creative nonetheless.

Once you get up to this point you're either really pissed off or seriously weirded-out by this band. Well kiddies, the weirdness has just begun. "123" sounds like Prince covering Otis Redding's "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay." Though odd, it's catchy and campy like the rest of the tracks, attaining a weird Sugar Ray-like quality due to the syrupy-sweet hook. On "Dreams of the South," I can't decipher whether The Teenage Prayers are trying to mimic that famous Nashville sound or are making fun of it. Though imperfect, it does, in my opinion, show promise. It's a creative mixture of Memphis-like horns, a country waltz rhythm and an acoustic Green Day punkish feeling. "Is This as Good as it Gets," is a skipper. It kinda reminds me of "Hell" by Squirrel Nut Zippers, just not as memorable. However, "Is My Living Vain" is memorable and a personal favorite of mine. It's got that Bob Dylan "Tombstone Blues"/Willie McTell feeling, but then it u-turns into a version of Queen's trademark operatic overtures. Like many of the others, it's weak during the hook, but the groove saves it. "Spirit in a Can" may not be for everybody. It's a parody of sorts of typical southern songs. However it fits well at the album's end, finishing off with an amusement park sound effect, making it the perfect end to this wild and wacky album.

By this time you either hate this album, or have fallen in love with the band's courageous spirit. Overall, in my opinion, this band has a lot of promise. They're genre bending freaks, a pleasant mixture of Bob Marley, Velvet Underground, Ray Charles and the Darkness. They seem to know how to construct a good song yet do not take themselves too seriously—which is always plus with rock bands. They have pop sensibility but also the guts to venture off into uncharted territories. Warning! If you're a pretentious blowhard music snob with an unflinching grip on your musical world then this band is probably not for you. But if you're a musical free-spirit like I am, then give these guys a try, you might be pleasantly surprised. They have the courage to be different, which means a lot in this present Rock & Roll Valhalla of monotony, decadence and lame power ballads.