Wordplay and Wit Far Beyond the Songwriter’s Years : Radish, “Restraining Bolt,” Mercury. (***)

Most teen rockers work so hard to emulate their older heroes and write beyond their years that they inevitably sound pretentious. Those that do act their age generally sound, well, juvenile. But 15-year-old Ben Kweller avoids both pitfalls on his trio’s debut, with music distilled from the Nirvana-Bush lineage (his voice also slots nicely between Kurt Cobain and Gavin Rossdale) and lyrics reflecting a thoughtful adolescent’s perspective.

Kweller’s a natural melodist and a skilled guitarist, with a sense for the unusual that keeps things interesting. He applies these gifts to chronicling such concerns as school (it’s tolerable, but Dungeons and Dragons is better), romance (he knows there’s a lot to learn), his guitar (it makes life worth living) and world affairs (church burnings and environmental destruction suck). With his flair for wordplay and wit, it’s rarely mundane and never inane. He’s not exactly blazing new trails of rock ‘n’ roll, but hey, he’s still young.

*

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