Prefix-punk-show, third row. You’re wiping sweat off your forehead. A feedback’s fading out. The frontman mumbles incomprehensible gibberish into the mike. Then, moshing resumes. Business as usual. Only half a chorus into the song you realize it’s Britney Spears booming from the boxes…

 

Miz and Mr Skate-, Ska- or whatever punk like to add a little extra spice to their live performances by borrowing songs from mainstream pop. The resulting covers usually range from restrained homage to celebrated persiflage. A fine thing in concert. The audience only has to recognize the song; intoxication and pogo-frenzy do the rest. A cover on a record is a bit more complicated, a whole cover album a real challenge.

 

As a cover-pro you’re a treasure-hunter. First and foremost, you have to know where to dig. Then, what to do with the junk you’ve dug out. On Panty Raid Zebrahead cover songs by female pop(related) interprets only. A vein of gold? Well…

 

Songs like “Survivor“ (the album’s finest) and „Jenny from the Block“ thrive in the custody of Zebrahead. Others are less suitable for Ali Tabatabaees raps and stay colourless, especially “Girlfriend and “The Sweet Escape”. “Let’s get this party started” should have remained untouched as well. On Panty Raid, the sped up track is mediocre at best and always a decisive step behind Pink’s well-done grrrly-hymn.

And the rest? “Mickey” and “Girls just wanna have fun” are good songs, but replays rather than reinterpretations. (Homage covers are okay, but not very exciting, aren’t they?) Apart from those, Panty Raid clearly lacks classics. A lot of the tuned up pop melodies sound familiar (from supermarkets, elevators, the dentist’s office). But if you didn’t enjoy them then, you probably won’t enjoy them now. Hard to imagine that Zebrahead ever enjoyed them… 

 

Panty Raid certainly proves useful in unnerving little sisters addicted to commercial radio and teen-mag-centerfolds. Other than that, the album merely promises the dull entertainment known from Stefani, Spears et al. None of the songs will stick for long.