Still not getting any better!
Simple Plan describe themselves as “not a punk band, a pop band, a rock band or whatever label you can come up with… (we) are just a great band… a band that strives to write great songs and put on a hell of a show!”. Despite this promising description, “Still Not Getting Any” sounds like the soundtrack to any typical ‘teen movie’ – cheesy, bland and instantly forgettable.
The CD kicks off with “Shut Up!” (I’ll avoid the obvious pun), and despite it’s bouncy vibe, the melody and riffs sound tired and done to death by the piles of other pop-punk acts currently bothering the record shop shelves. It’s predictable and even comes complete with the foreseen group chants and melodic breakdown before launching into the last energetic chorus. The following track, “Welcome To My Life”, is just as disposable, and Pierre Bouvier’s high-pitched vocal whining doesn’t exactly help matters. The album continues in pretty much the same vein, with plodding, dull songs like “One” and “Perfect World” and poppy yet oddly angry tunes such as “Thank You” and “Promise”. It’s rare that a band can sing about a depressing, sad or infuriating subject over the musical equivalent of bubblegum and sunshine and get away with it, and Simple Plan prove this theory to be true. Granted, some of the songs with pissed-off, frustrated themes are paired with not-quite-as-poppy melodies (“Me Against The World”) but even then, the tedious vocals and dreary melodies make you wonder whether this band are actually passionate about the songs’ subjects at all.
Despite all this, there’s no doubt that this CD will go on to sell millions of copies (they’ve already sold over a million copies of their last release, No Pads, No Helmets...
Just Balls). Lets face it, we live in a country where Busted and McFly seem to be hitting the number one spot in the charts every week, and this type of simple pop-punk will probably appeal to all the people currently buying those boy-band-with-guitars’ records. But for those of you searching for a more catchy, raw sound, avoid Simple Plan like the plague. It’s polished pop-punk at its worst.
Clearly someone forgot to add the word ‘better’ to the end of the album title.