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The opening track of If Arsenic Fails, Try Algebra would suggest Pop Unknown are a fairly heavy rock band. They are not, however. Instead, the majority of this disc is a mix of emo, guitar pop, and light rock. The guitars (there are three, not including the bass) are featured prominently, while the drums are kept fairly quiet. Tim Lasatar's lead vocals are good for the emo aspect of their music, but don’t work as well for the harder songs. Production isn’t the best, and on some tracks it would have been better if the guitars had been put a little lower in the mix, and the vocals brought forward. Lyrically, Pop Unknown say just enough to keep you thinking. A good example is "An Offering." Trip to find an offering.Other songs have more lyrics, but remain equally vague. "Lonely Here With Me" is a desperate plea from the writer to God for help in his time of struggle. Other themes include selfishness ("Tattoo Your Image (On the World)") and God’s care for us ("Oh Kay"). The biggest problem with If Arsenic Fails is that they don’t have enough variety. Every song, save two or three, starts with gentle lead guitar picking, which is joined by the rhythm guitar in the chorus. While it works for some songs, the majority become boring and tedious. If Arsenic Fails is not without highlights. For example, "Last to Know" breaks the monotony with a reasonably fast punk pop song. "Forward = Rewind" is an instrumental with slide guitar and light percussion against a background of surf and beach sounds. If Arsenic Fails is a tense album for the spiritually needy. It should please fans of emo and guitar-driven pop. For others, Pop Unknown provide little more than relaxing back-ground music. Eric Daams 1/15/2000
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