How could a band that put out two amazing albums write and record sucha horrid CD? Reel Big Fish's latest, "Cheer Up," is probably the worstrelease of the year.
With half their original members, Reel Big Fish hasreplaced their full, brassy horn sound with a thin, processed one. They alsotraded in their smooth Ska sound for a sort of pop punk with horns, though in"Where Have You Been," the horns don't play and there is no evidence ofSka. The song might as well be branded Emo, since the lyrics complain about abreak up.
The same can be said for the rest of the CD. Songs like"Good Thing," "Suckers" and "Dateless Loser"complain about girls, and show no qualities of ska. Even when there are horns inthe songs, they simply play long chords. What would usually be bass or horns isnow guitar solos.
There are some good songs, like "Ban The TubeTop," which is actually quite funny as it jokes about the revealing clothingteenagers wear. Still, "Cheer Up" is just too upbeat (except for theEmo-like songs). It even reminds me of early '80s music meant to, yes, cheer youup.
Reel Big Fish have regressed in their writing, going from fairlycomplex to extremely simple rock.
I have to hand it to them, though - theyhave put out five albums. Except for this one, each is great. I just hope theirfuture releases are better.
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