I have been attempting to review this record for probably two months.
That in itself should tell you something.
For some reason I think I should like this band way more than I do. It might have something to do with the fact that I actually read the novel of a press packet that arrived with the disc, on a unseasonaly warm Saturday afternoon while home alone. The sheets of paper, (Yes, some labels still send discs and paper) described the band in such a “working man” kind of way, that it made me respect them, and the dues they have paid.
I may respect them, and I even respect the record, but I do not like it. The music is good, the songs well written, the riffs well played, but I have heard it before, and few songs are memorable. It is part Weezer, part Ween, a lot of Fountains of Wayne, and mostly They Might Be Giants. Some of the stand out songs are “Such As It Ends” and “Love Me Dead” (Also stand out is the band’s video for “Love Me Dead”).
I have struggled and struggled trying to decide if I would give this a thumbs up or thumbs down. The decision, fortunately was made for me when one of their songs came on and I recognized it…
… as a Fountains of Wayne song.
Lude, you’re not awful, but I don’t love you, just sort of like you… as a friend.