After the fall of 1998 and the release of “Pack up the Cats”, Local H fans were plunged into four years of darkness only to be awakened by the album “Here Comes the Zoo.” With a few exceptions, this album left fans wondering if Scott Lucas was getting old, confused, or possibly sober, regardless, this is not the place to discuss these things. The album “Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles.” Goes to some length to ease the nausea induced by far too many studio effects, however prompts you to question why it is that Scott Lucas can’t leave things like the vocal tampering at home.

That said, P.J. Soles gives you the distinct opportunity to rock out. Songs like “Everyone Alive” present a true cacophony of overdriven guitar that continues to amaze those knowing that only one man is creating all this noise. “California Songs” with the line “and fuck New York too” has seriously grown on me. There are things about this album that make me very happy, the song "Hey Rita" rocks in a way I have never heard Local H rock before. (differently not harder)

The problem is that this album is basically grundgy rock music, not that this is a bad thing, it is just that I expect more from Local H. Scott Lucas’s signature pop riffyness layered in huge quantities of feedback seems strangely missing from this album. And why is it that every new Local H release seems to have a requisite 12 minute guitar and digital delay musical masturbation session. Please, Mr. Lucas, take your penis out of your hand and give us some more music that makes us want to get drunk and hit people.

Erik Martin