Putting A Smile On Your Face
Free from the shackles of their pantomime-villain record label, Reel Big Fish, the band who rose to prominence during the nineties ska-punk boom, are back with their highly anticipated seventh studio album. Independently produced, 'Monkeys For Nothin' And The Chimps For Free' features ten original tracks and seven re-recorded efforts, the latter taken mainly from their lo-fi 1995 debut 'Everything Sucks'. Functioning without the pressure of men in suits demanding another hit single, Reel Big Fish promised to release a buoyant, feel-good record just in time for the summer – and my, have they succeeded.
Kicking things off with the nonsensical 'Party Down', a song containing ridiculous lyrics and the odd lapse into mock-disco fills, the band quickly establish the album's light-hearted premise. Ska-punk is all about having a good time and not taking yourself too seriously; these veterans have got the notion nailed. Though pitching infectious, bouncy music with lyrics centred on love, hate, girls and beer is nothing new, frontman Aaron Barrett's witty delivery and unique outlook – case in point: daring to ask the age old question "Why do all girls think they're fat?" – offers a little extra mileage on the otherwise overused motifs.
Musically the band adheres to all their usual conventions and don't shake the boat too drastically – staccato guitars, walking basslines and a tight brass accompaniment still form the staple of the Reel Big Fish sound we know and love. That said, the band show they aren't afraid to innovate in moderation: the underlying piano heard in 'My Imaginary Friend' and the folk-flavoured guitar found in 'Please Don't Tell Her I Have A Girlfriend' show that the group are always out to freshen up their style, if only a little.
The standout track on the album is undoubtedly the group's ambitious cover of Phil Collins' Grammy winning smash-hit, 'Another Day In Paradise'. Replacing the original's pensive piano intro with a trumpet and a trombone proves to be a masterstroke as the band manages to pull off yet another exceptional cover. Reel Big Fish have amassed an impressive arsenal of procured material over the years; 'Another Day In Paradise' leaps right up there with 'Take On Me' as the bands best interpretation. Other top-notch tracks include the hilariously profane 'Another FU Song', the rebellious anthem 'Live Your Dream' and the laid back 'Slow Down', a track which is wonderfully complemented by guitarist-cum-trumpeter Scott Klopfenstein's soulful backing vocals. Unfortunately there is no 'Beer #2' on this album, but considering that the original ranks amongst the best third-wave songs ever written, I'll let them off.
In typical Reel Big Fish fashion, 'Monkeys...' does feature a few awful songs to counterbalance the awesome ones – 'Everybody's Drunk' and 'Please Don't Tell Her I Have A Girlfriend' immediately spring to mind. However, when an album boasts seventeen tracks, the occasional stinker really doesn't matter – there are still plenty enough good tunes to make this a fantastic record and a great purchase. This album, like the band themselves, might not change your life but it will but a smile on your face – and that's what it's all about, right?