Tub Ring

Parents, the members of Tub Ring are poster children for not giving your ADD-addled children their meds. Otherwise, they might never grow up to be endearingly spastic kings of pop like these guys, who can open a tune with pseudo-classical strings before veering effortlessly into bouncy punk interspersed with searing metal and spiked with robot gurgles and garage-y roller-rink organs. Thank God the guys in Tub Ring grew up before Ritalin became ubiquitous. Over the past fifteen years, this band has evolved from a punk outfit to an experimental-pop juggernaut with insane songwriting skills and virtuosic musical chops. Fitting it into a handy category is out of the question, but who cares when the songs are this alarmingly catchy and perfect, with missteps that are often more interesting and memorable than most bands’ best efforts? It just goes to show, too much focus can be a bad thing.