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Vacaville, the city by the city by the bay, has been exceedingly prolific of late. In the past couple of years it has spawned such popular acts as Papa Roach and the entirely forgettable act (I forget their name) that released Smooth Criminal, an unforgettable tribute to the now definitively dethroned King of Pop (the video is pretty cool, too). Some may consider Pocket Full of Posers to be Papa Roach Lite, but based on what they seem to have crammed into this pocket, they don't seem to be travelling "lite" by any stretch of the imagination. While they don't seem to take their music too seriously--or themselves for that matter--some unexpectedly heavy lyrical content is to be found here, though it may not seem deep the first time one dives in.

Was it a random series of fortuitous circumstances that brought members of this post-punk pop band from Vacaville, California together, or has it always been something that was as predestined to be as being itself? The urgency and resolute purposefulness of each emboldened beat, each tautly harmonized vocal paroxysm, and every perilous guitar peregrination would suggest the latter. The drummer simultaneously rocks as he rules, seizing control of every sizzling song from beginning to end. His role is central, as the role of the drummer is the foundation of any solid wall of sound. The rest of the band members follow like brave soldiers, executing a meritoriously meticulous march. Yet, paradoxically enough, each member leads as he follows. "Sounds too good to be true!" I exclaimed to myself a few seconds after I slipped the disc into the mouth of my car stereo. Slipping a disc can be painful, but this time it brought sheer pleasure. It's rare to find something fine, instead of over-refined. Perhaps this was a sign.

The wish to be "more than average" is one of the strongest motivational forces operating on rock bands of this, the first decade of the new millennium. For renowned psychoanalytical theorist Alfred Adler, the striving to go beyond average, or to excel, is fueled by feelings of inferiority that each individual becomes imbued with early in life. According to Adler, overcompensation is the mechanism by which this accomplishment is achieved.

I'm not sure of the degree to which the band relied upon overcompensation to complete this project, but it is clear that if becoming more than average was the goal, those over compensatory mechanisms have served them extraordinarily well.

The opening tune on Wishing We Were More Than Average reveals an undying optimism redolent of a scripture verse that says "All Things work together for good to those who love the Lord-to those who are called according to his purpose." This notion is reflected in the line, "Nothing's working out the way we want it to, but in the end we'll be O.K." The song appears to focus on the personal differences that emerge in the context of interpersonal relationships that tend to create tension and, if not resolved, often spell the beginning of the end of a relationship. The faith to persevere in the face of ineffable conflict and doubt is something that comes from above. In addition to the faith and long-suffering expressed in "Differences," the zeal and the urgency of the music seems to give the listener the sense that the band feels called and that they are proceeding with a sense of purpose. Whether Pocket Full of Posers realize it or not, this sense comes from being created in the image of a God of faith and long-suffering.

The very next song on the CD, "Half Empty or Half Full," contains another healthy dose of the same unbridled optimism. The message contained in this song? In case the listener hasn't noticed, the empty half of the glass is always on the top. That means one has to dig through the emptiness in order to reach the fullness. The willingness to face one's utter sense of emptiness, isolation and aloneness in the universe is a central motif in existential literature. For existential philosophers like Kierkegaard, Heidegger, or Tillich, or psychologists like Eric Fromm, Rollo May, or Kirk J. Schneider, we all must face and ultimately embrace our utter aloneness in the universe if we are to experience life in all of its fullness. This takes a leap of faith, and it may simply be the naivete of youth, but it seems that Pocket Full of Posers is willing to take it.

As such, they will not have to settle for "half full." "Sometimes I dig deep down and find just loneliness... I just lose myself in between you and me..." Not only are these lyrics deftly poetic, and profound, and precocious, but they reflect the fact that the writer has allowed himself to be pushed to the very edge of the abysmal limits of human love. The end of the road on the journey to intimate human connection is the beginning of the eternal road towards divine connection. With _Wishing We Were More Than Average,_ Pocket Full of Posers find themselves at the crossroads.

"Not Myself" and "Sell Outs" are identity songs. They reflect the struggle articulated by Heidegger between an undifferentiated state and an authentic state of identity formation. They reflect the struggle in a manner more relevant to contemporary culture and more likely to engage youth than some dead German philosopher like Heidegger with a pernicious political proclivity that cast a shadow of doubt upon the motives behind his philosophy and the authenticity of his own spirit.

The song "Clueless" is redolent of a personal crisis of Cartesian proportions, but the writer seems to have more of a clue than Descartes did when he embarks on the journey that consisted of doubting everything. Clueless once again brings the band to the brink of despair, and thus, the welcome mat to the house of spiritual fulfillment and self-actualization. Paralyzed by the stark awareness that comes with the existential realization of personal responsibility for one's fate, the writer asks, "Did I make the right decisions? And "Where did I go wrong?" The band once acknowledges the missing link in Maslow's Need Hierarchy with the words, "There's something missing deep inside of me." Maslow pointed to the Self as the source of actualization when actually actualization can only be accomplished when the Self humbly acknowledges its powerlessness, willingly allows the creator of the self to de-throne it, and gives the crown back to the real King--the King of Kings.

As a whole, the CD reveals a band eager to please, but not at all costs. The CD is rife with enthusiasm and a refreshing sense of optimism grounded, not in delusion, but in faith. Stylistically, the band is cautiously risky. With experience, they will hopefully learn to boldly go where no band has gone before. As for Pocket Full of Posers, if this were a game of pool, they'd be all cued up and headed for the right pocket. As for _Wishing We Were More than Average,_ it looks like they're well on their way to making that wish come true.

Dr. B.L.Thiessen, a.k.a. Dr. B.L.T., The Rock Doc  May 26, 2003