Mest

by Johnny Loftus

For its third Maverick release, Chicago's Mest has jettisoned the sugary pop experimentation of Destination Unknown, dulled the ska influences of its early career, and fully embraced tarted-up tweener punk. Produced, mixed, and engineered by Goldfinger frontman and Mest mentor John Feldmann, the eponymous effort packs every possible punk-pop cliché into its 13 tracks, and often sounds like a facsimile of Feldmann's own band during its heyday. Like its compatriots in Good Charlotte (whose Benji Madden guests here), Mest blends energetic Green Day-style power chording with the processed vocals, synth programming, and overwrought string sections that typify corporatized pop in 2003 (and that's pop in any radio-friendly format). While "Until I Met You," "Night Alone," and "2000 Miles" are, for the most part, pogo-friendly trad punk updates, they're about as believable as a mohawk in a boy band. The squiggling electronics and swelling violins of "Jaded (These Years)" and "Chance of a Lifetime"'s acoustic melodrama suggest Mest might now be using punk rock only as artifice. Because when each chord, every word, and all the micro-managed, glossy dynamics of an album reek of artful commercialization, it's hard to find what's real about the band behind the music. Mest might offer a few stage-diving moments for the kids, but it will only keep until the next big thing hits.