Formed by skateboarder and satellite shock jock Jason Ellis with help from Good Charlotte member Benji Madden, comedy rockers Taintstick are your parent's worst nightmare plus Spinal Tap come to life in the punk-pop age. Most importantly, they're the most vulgar act on Suburban Noize Records, which is really saying something. "Load" is the whole thing in a nutshell -- which would be a pun to these guys -- as Ellis lists the ills of the world, from celebrity worship to global warming, before admitting that his main concern is whether he gets to blow the song's title into the listener's façade. Keep in mind, that's the single, and it's downhill into a deeper circle of depravity from there, but "Load" is delivered with a smart arrangement along with some in-jokes that play upon the metal and punk genre's biggest clichés. Even better is the dramatic opener, "Balls," but drop in anywhere and you'll be greeted with trash that's full of life and sleaze that displays the proper amount of smarts. If you've noted that the band's name is a lunkheaded oxymoron, you're in on the joke and should get to rockin' with Taintstick immediately.
© David Jeffries /TiVo