Subtropical Spin

For the sake of journalistic integrity (is that an oxymoron?), you shouldn¹t judge a CD by its cover art, no matter how stomach-churningly bad it is. Well, sweet snake whiskey, the CD cover for Audible¹s latest CD is bad. Putting a half-naked chick on your cover, her face twisted into a look somewhere between boredom and ouch-I-just-stubbed-my-toe-dom, might draw the under-17 mall crowd in from loitering by the Orange Julius. But if you¹re a band looking to expand your horizons past, say, Hot Topic and Sam Goody, ¹tis not the way to go. Here is where you must find the strength within, grasshopper; once you get past the packaging, the songs on this two-CD set aren¹t bad. The South Florida trio veers from caffeinated, ska-infected ditties like ³Down on One Knee² to the Descendents-esque ³Wake Up² on the first disc. The second, live disc throws in more frantic guitars and pop-punk regalia, with a little more screaming, bratitude, and, inexplicably, a ska-funk cover of Jimmy Soul¹s ³If You Wanna Be Happy...² Audible really is almost there. It¹s got the chops to kick you in the crotch. But Blink-182 and Sugar Ray already (over)did the porn-star cover shot. Just say no, kids. Just... say... no. You can check out Audible at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 22, at the Culture Room (3045 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale) with the Toasters, Bumruckus, Fallen from the Sky, and Symbiance. Call 954-564-1074.