The Lawrence Arms

Remember that two-headed gibberish-speaking muppet? The Lawrence Arms is like that, only they're intelligible. And instead of a puppeteer with his hand up their furry hinder, Neil Hennessy is in back, pounding away like Animal on the skins. Bassist Brendan Kelly and guitarist Chris McCaughan are so like-minded in their...

By Rick Skidmore

November 15, 2007

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Remember that two-headed gibberish-speaking muppet? The Lawrence Arms is like that, only they're intelligible. And instead of a puppeteer with his hand up their furry hinder, Neil Hennessy is in back, pounding away like Animal on the skins. Bassist Brendan Kelly and guitarist Chris McCaughan are so like-minded in their dual singing delivery that, were it not for their disparate voices, they'd be sideshow inhabitants. The streamlined punk isn't very heavy, but frenetic speed and Kelly's wild-eyed croaking carry the excitement to manic levels. A penchant for turning clever phrases shows up on tracks like "Here Comes the Neighborhood," but the intelligent humor, which seems to have risen from random drunken conversations and in-jokes, is never used at the expense of catchy, driven songs. If the Beastie Boys had stayed in the punk-rock fold, this would be their shtick.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Westword has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.