Hard-Wired Other Review
Home  
   
Review ratings:  
1. Avoid 6. Not Bad
2. Poor 7. Good
3. Weak 8. Very Good
4. Worth The Effort 9. Excellent
5. Shows Promise 10. Must Have

   
Artist
The Presidents Of The United States Of America
Title
These AreThe Good Times People’
Format/Cat
FRYCD351
Label
Cooking Vinyl
Style
Indie
Date of review
15 May 2008
Reviewer
Anya Hastwell
Rating
7/10
Time for some Seattle rawk! "Mixed-up SOB” is actually about a girl, who causes much angst and rage among all those that know her. And it's a feel-good summertime vibe throughout this album – 'You never had rabies/You never gained weight/You never drank poison/You watched what you ate' are the lyrics proclaiming true love in "Bad Times". Yes, a love that's there in those stinky rainy days as well as the sunny happy ones. 'You fell off a cliff so I buried you.' Well if that's not love then I don't know what is.

And there's some anti-France politics going on with "French Girl", and it's yee-haw red neck antics in "Truckstop Butterfly" – don't forget your cowboy hat. "Loose Balloon" takes things down a pace a bit, with the sad tale of a child's balloon drifting away. After that childhood trauma has passed, you might be ready for "Rot In The Sun", which sounds like a lazy drop-out anthem if there ever was one. "Deleter" ends the album, which certainly lives up to its claim of being their trademark joy pop.

But there's one problem with sticking to a formula that is tried and tested and that can be trusted to work – it gets boring and true creativity always needs to be reaching out and exploring new territories than those already trod. Well, that's my opinion anyway for anyone who cares!