Stretch Princess

These days, as a musician, you know you've made it when you have had a song featured on a WB teen angst drama. Stretch Princess are one of the lucky few whose creations have underlined a pregnant moment on Dawson's Creek. "Lost on Me" is that tune, one barely distinguishable from the rest of the now mainstream alternative ditties which grace their self-titled debut album. Kurt Cobain is perpetually rolling over in his grave for the embarrassingly bland rip-offs of the genre he spawned.

There is nothing noteworthy about this band's sound except that they are following the pack of clones who imitate superbands like U2, Nirvana and the Cranberries. Lead singer Jo Lloyd manages to merely mimic Dolores O'Riordan's vocal stylings from "Zombie," that frantic, slightly nasal guttural pitch. Backed by random noise fillers consisting of drums and guitar, each song is a blur of blah and blech. Forgettable lyrics of the usual uber-topic, love, in all its iterations nicely round out this disappointing disc. With the rise of this new crop of artificially-flavored pop bands, the music scene is crying uncle for a new sound that is not some retro-fitted version of the era of mom and dad.