Review Summary: Reel Big Fish serve up a platter of candy-coated catchiness, but without any heart.
As a longtime fan of Reel big Fish, I wonder when the line was crossed. For awhile, RBF were a fun catchy band, bursting at the seams with sardonic wit, catchy songs, and singalong anthems. But at some point, the sardonic wit became much more real, and then it felt forced. Maybe it was after
"We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy," an album that showcases right in the title that RBF certainly have some issues. Full of bitterness and anger, that album was given a bye as it was the last (original) album released on the "JIVE" record label, whom Reel Big Fish hated and had been wanting to leave for years. So the anger on that album could be given a pass, as perhaps it was directed at their hated label?
Then came
Our Live Album is Better Than Your Live Album. Given a much more playful title, it seemed as though RBF were having fun again, freed from the shackles of their devious label. It was a fun album, augmented by the banter used one stage between the various members, and certainly lifted up by the energy of the crowd. And then there was
Monkey's For Nothin' and the Chimps for Free, which I myself wrote a review for. It seems a bit too generous, but that was years ago. We will not speak of
"Fame, Fortune, and Fornication", as it is a cover album and a terrible one at that.
So now we arrive at
Candy Coated Fury. With the departure of longtime member (and one of the chief songwriters) Scott Klopfenstein, it was easy to fear for RBF. Two slumpy albums, and the loss of perhaps the most talented member of the band (Sorry Aaron) leaves a fan feeling vulnerable. In Scott's place, saxophone player Matt Appleton was scooped up to fill the void in the horns and backing vocals, giving Reel Big Fish the first saxophone player they've had in the band since 1995. Are they able to deliver after losing a strong member of the band?
Well... kind of.
The album starts off well enough with
Everyone Else is an Asshole. Just the kind of song you would expect from Reel Big Fish, it starts off with gang vocals, before bursting into a catchy horn hook and distorted power chords. And while it's catchy and easy to sing along to, it still feels... empty. There's no soul, no passion. It feels phoned in. This is a problem that mars almost the entire CD. Not only that, but almost every song sounds similar. Maybe it has to do with third wave ska starting to sound tired, especially given other bands that have started to push the boundaries, such as Streetlight Manifesto, the Rx Bandits and Big D and the Kid's table. But
Candy Coated Fury just feels formulaic.
Almost every song begins the same. Gang vocals, distorted chords and horn hooks. Given, that's what one comes to expect from this genre, and especially from such stalwarts as RBF. Unfortunately, every song sounds like the third wave cliche. Guilty parties include the aforementioned
Everyone Else is an Asshole,
Lost Cause,
Your Girlfriend Sucks and
I Love/You Suck.
I Know You Too Well to Like You Anymore Falls into the same traps is well, but is hurt even further by the fact that it's a song primarily composed of Aaron and guest singer Julie Stoyer hurling insults at each other that wouldn't sound out of place on any MTV reality show of your choice. "You've got no tits!" "Well, you're a needle dick!" might be funny on first listen, but they fall flat after several listens.
The songs that attempt to break the formula just sound awkward and out of place. The faux-reggae
Hiding in My Headphones starts off with an annoying high-pitched voice over a simplistic drumbeat, and struggle to find an identity from there. The vocals at most points are just annoying, as it contains 2 guest singers that might be fine in their own right, but just don't fit this awkward song.
Don't Stop Skankin' is a highlight, almost a throwback to
241 from
Turn the Radio Off!. Primarily an instrumental (the lyrics only consist of "Pick it Up!" and "Don't Stop Skankin'"), the song is also in written in a minor key, which is something rarely done by RBF. It does a good job of showcasing the talent of the band members purely on the instruments without being spoiled by "angry" lyrics and jokes that just don't amuse.
It's unfortunate that the most successful song on the album is a cover, the closer
The Promise, originally by When in Rome. But it is on this song that the band finally sounds genuine. At most points on this album, Aaron is mostly yelling or slinging insults. But on this cool, slow ska track, it finally sounds like there's some real emotion in his voice. The vocals are well done, and there's a beautiful saxophone solo that tops the song off extremely well.
As an album, to be honest it's what you would expect from Reel Big Fish. But maybe that's not good anymore. As veterans of the scene, it's easy to respect them, but maybe it's time for them to start pushing their boundaries a bit more. This album is like finding an ancient bag of M&M's under your bed. Sure, it's candy, but is it really going to be that good anymore?
