Fenix TX
Fenix TX
MCA Records
Rating:      8

Fenix TX’s self-titled debut album is a very good Blink 182 album. Do I sound confused? Well, I think I am entitled after listening to it. I think in a blind listening test people would be hard pressed to tell the two bands apart other than a slight difference in guitar style. The band is a pop/punk clone of Blink 182. Am I complaining about this? Not at all. I’m a huge fan of Blink 182 (including the pre-MTV era when they were really cool), but this is incredible. People said that Oasis sounded like the Beatles, but they had nothing on Fenix TX for copyright infringement quality.
Anyway, I guess I should talk about the album. The best thing I can say is that I really like Blink 182, so that makes me a fan of this CD as well. They’re full of the same pop-punk adolescent quips as Blink 182. With plain and simple titles like “Minimum Wage,” it’s easy to draw the comparison. There are also very catchy songs and I did enjoy the album quite a bit for humor alone. The best part of the album has to be in the song “Apple Pie Cowboy Toothpaste” (no clue where that one came from). The band actually does the entire Lambda Lambda Lambda rap from Revenge of the Nerds. This song, for those of us who are old enough, is a selling point in itself.
The band is also catching airplay for their first single “All My Fault,” which was featured on MTV’s Jailbait soundtrack along with a video (featuring Mark Hoppus of ... yep, Blink 182), and some pretty good airplay. The album itself is just what I said at the beginning, a good Blink 182 album, and that makes it something that will sell quite a few albums when the band finishes their tour.
In all the album gets an 8. Why? Because you can’t not listen to it. Whatever comparisons might be drawn, the band still plays hard and sounds good. It’s a catchy, rhythmic and overall good album. I liked it enough to tell you about it didn’t I?