Take a Break

by

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes

Edit

I dunno... it's okay and all, but...

The first album was fantastic, damn near a revelation. The first time we played "Danny's Song" in a room full of bored people, everybody perked up, stared at the speakers, and were happily addicted within minutes. The songs were kitschy, but you got the feeling that, like all of us, the band had a certain kind of affection for them. Updating them was funny, but it was also an expression of love for songs that nobody wants to admit to actually liking.

As subsequent albums were released, a basic sense of that affection was still there, if no longer as intense as the first time. The choices began to feel less like an act of love and more like a running gag, but there was still enough love there to carry the album, and there were always a few really solid tracks to keep you hooked.

But this one... this feels more like a calculated effort, all joke and no real enthusiasm. What's worse, stylistically they're moving closer and closer to their own sound; what's the artistic difference between MF&GG's cover of "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" and The Atari's recent cover of "The Boys of Summer"?

I've really enjoyed Me First's first three albums, and I had high hopes for this one. It doesn't completely suck... but don't expect to feel anything like what you felt the first time you heard them.