Been There Smoked That

In a few dizzying years, guitarist-vocalist Andy Jackson and company have evolved from Alabama's Antidote into Connecticut's Hot Rod Circuit, loosening up their raw, moody emo-core sound along the way with some welcome pop-punk abandon. This 15-track anthology charts the progress of that evolution. The CD begins with the emblematic, energetic dynamics of "Slacker" and the four other tracks comprising their rare debut EP, and then moves on to a middle third that collects five thrash-heavy tracks from Antidote's Mr. Grabowski album, some of which were later reworked for HRC's debut, If I Knew Then What I Know Now. Rounding out the set is a tight, smart-assed handful of live tracks recorded in NYC in 2000; a nervous, powerhouse cover of Fudge's "Machine Gun Patty Hearst"; and a head-banging take on AC/DC's "Sin City" (from the I Love Metal tribute album) that gives some well-deserved props to the unsung godfathers of punk-metal. --Jerry McCulley