Alpha Males and Popular Girls

Although you'd never know it by listening to the radio or watching MTV, the early 21st century — perhaps more than any other time in the history of rock — has seen quite a few bands that have little regard for sticking to a single genre. A prime example is the New York City/New Jersey quintet So I Had to Shoot Him, which has created a style the bandmembers refer to as "sex metal," in which singer Libby's "Debbie Harry meets death metal" vocals do battle with the noisecore-ish technicality of the instrumentalists in the band. The quintet's 2005 release, Alpha Males and Popular Girls, accomplishes what most noisecore sets out to do: it creates an instant headache for the uninitiated, with an overabundance of what are often referred to as "blast beats" and discordant guitar chords. But then again, bands like So I Had to Shoot Him should be commended for not sticking to conventionality (especially in this day and age, when so much music is by the numbers), as evidenced by such selections as "People Hugging and Football," "Another Roman E' Clef by Hart Bochner," and the amusingly titled "King Diamond in the Rough." One thing's for certain: So I Had to Shoot Him won't be confused with No Doubt anytime soon.