Calibretto 13 has created a very memorable album that almost rivals the albums of Five Iron Frenzy in sheer silliness, while taking advantage of a musical genre (acoustic punk) that has been neglected for too long.

I must say that I am not familiar with the acoustic punk scene (other than a song or two by The Violent Femmes), but I really, really like what I hear. Enter the Danger Brigade features melodies that stand out from the pack by being both catchy and infectious, while at the same time being interesting enough to not grow old upon multiple listens.

Rhythmically, the drums (played by Chris Thomas) pretty much just maintain a straight-up punk beat, but the foundation they give to the songs definitely keeps this band on the punk side of the divide. The rest of the instrumentation is provided simply by acoustic and electric guitar (played by Joseph Whiteford) and acoustic and electric bass (played by Aaron Richardson). The bass backs up the rhythm mostly, but at times (I.E.--"Creep"), it plays an important role in the melodic and harmonic structure of the songs (similar to the role of Orlando's bass playing in Havalina Rail Company). The guitar is all over the place, with a much more developed acoustic feel than is typical of the punk genre.

Most of the lyrics on the album were written by Joseph Whiteford, and are generally fun and silly. Those songs that approach seriousness sound rather youth-group preachy at times. However, at their high points, the lyrics are downright biting in their satire.

The album starts off with "High 5," a fun, feel good song that serves well as an anthem for all the band nerds, computer geeks, and outcasts in general who are quite happy within their own social circle outside the elitist clique of the mainstream. (For some strange reason, though, musically this song reminds me of an Irish drinking song. I don't know why, but it does.)

After that, the album takes a dip downhill with "Spoiled Brat." It is just a tad bit preachy and condescending for my taste. The worst example is the line "forget about the hungry in Mexico, go play your stupid Nintendo." Besides the lame attempt at creating a guilt trip, it's a dumb thing to say. As a frequent visitor to Mexico, I can testify that while there may be more poverty there than in the US, there are less folks who are hungry in Mexico than there are in the US.*

Thankfully, the banality of "Spoiled Brat" was short, because the next song, a cover of The Sweet's "The Ballroom Blitz" was pretty nifty. "Ballroom Blitz" is a rollicking song that sounds like something off the movie Grease.

From there we move to "Fall Away," a fast-paced punk song that laments the way we so easily fall away from pursuing Jesus. The lyrics are a bit cheesy, but if you can get past that, the message and music of this song is pretty good.

The next song, "Movie Star," with its self-deprecating humor, is one of my favorites of the album. In the song, lead singer Whiteford laments the fact that he'll never be a movie star or a muscular hunk with white teeth, a big chest, and a tight butt. (I'm not making this up!) In the midst of his pity party, though, Joe tells the story of how Jesus met him and loved him for who he was. For all of us "losers" in the game of life, this song is a much-needed shot in the arm. (Oh yeah, there is a killer harmonica solo in this one, too.)

C 13 then moves in a new musical direction with "Christian Hate Mail," a surf style song that bemoans the hate mail that the band gets from legalists. The electric guitar in this song pulls off the surf vibe very well, going from dreamy rhythmic strumming to fast and furious, single string solo picking.

From the cool vibes of the surf song, we are moved to what sounds like a live recording made at a coffee shop full of unsympathetic listeners. After the band introduces themselves as the band "Black Sheep" (a name taken from C 13's first demo), we get to hear the cutest and maybe even funniest song of the album, "The Apple Song." I'm not sure how to describe the song, but I'll just say you gotta hear it.

The next song, "Get a Life" goes in another direction, something like a punk band colliding with a seedy 50s frat boy band. The best part is definitely the little "bah-ah-ang-ah-ah-ah" from the barisax that sounds like something from the song "Louie, Louie."

The last three songs move in a more serious direction. "Goodbye Cruel World" is a song that questions where God is in our most anguished of moments. Musically, it works well, with a mix of punk rhythms and dreamy surf guitar vibes.

"Soul Stalker" (written by bass player Aaron Richardson) also has elements of the surf vibe to it, but there is a triumphant battle cry element to it, as well. The lyrics in this one are especially powerful--

The album closes out with "Creep," a scathing condemnation of modern day pharisees in the church, set to a bouncing rhythm that understates the ferocity of the words being sung.

All in all, I highly recommend this album, and hope other bands take the lead of Calibretto 13 in exploring the acoustic punk sound.

* Note: Mexican law keeps the price of corn tortillas (their staple food product) at an affordable rate for even the poorest of its citizens.

** Lyrics are © 2000 Thirsty Moon Pub. Co. (ASCAP)/Our Stupid Publishing Co. (ASCAP)