American Hi-Fi titled its latest release The Art of Losing quite appropriately.

People listening to this album will be losing ... lots of precious time. Time not only just wasted on giving this waste a chance, but also time spent wondering where they heard the songs before. In fact, the only thing American Hi-Fi seems to do well is mimic other bands' sounds.

So before any lengthy guessing games ensue, I'll save you the trouble.

"Nothing Left to Lose" prays on the faux-punk Good Charlotte sound. But American Hi-Fi doesn't stop there. The title track of this record also puts Good Charlotte's idea of "loser anthems" into its own lyrics, with singer Stacy Jones rallying, "Don't tell me what to do, I don't want to be like you." These anti-establishment songs practically frequented themselves right back in the establishment.

"Beautiful Disaster" sounds almost like The Vines, or any other "The" band for that matter. With über-whiny vocals and thrashy guitars, American Hi-Fi's take shows even less finesse than its descendants.

And finally, "The Breakup Song" pays tribute to whom else but American Hi-Fi, with an almost facsimile of its previous one-hit wonder, "Flavor of the Weak." As though the trite title wasn't enough of a match, similarities go much further. With a chorus taken directly from its predecessor, the song merely throws salt on the wound of anyone who had just gotten over the trauma of hearing the first rendition.

I just hope the band isn't hoping to use royalties to fend off copyright suits. If so, American Hi-Fi may also master The Art of Losing.

-- Reviewed by Dante DelVecchio