MattA75's Full Review: Monkeys for Nothin' And The Chimps for Free by Ree...
To say this reviewer's expectations for the new Reel Big Fish album, Monkeys For Nothin' and the Chimps For Free, were low, would be an understatement. After releasing three albums of varying degrees of excellence, the band's last record, We're Not Happy Til You're Not Happy, was a major disappointment. It was a depressing, lacksadaisical record, showcasing almost nothing of what made the band such a fun listen in the first place.
Monkeys For Nothin' and the Chimps For Free was originally going to be an odds and ends record of rare tracks and b-sides. However, the band found themselves unsatisfied with what they were finding, so they recorded a couple of new songs. Soon, a couple of new songs became 10 new songs (those are the "monkeys"), and they re-recorded 7 other songs from varying points in their history (those are the "chimps").
The album is a mixed bag, not only in terms of sound (which is nothing new for this band), but also in terms of quality. Some of the songs here are put together quite well, while others exist seemingly only to make 15 year old boys laugh. It's amazing to me that this band has been around a decade and yet have not grown up a bit since their major label debut. Just like with most "party" bands, the schtick eventually gets old. And over these last two albums, RBF's act has started to get very very old.
How old? Well, when I was 17 I might have liked Another F.U. Song. After all, when you're a teenager and angry, you find saying "f this" and "f that" to be rather therapeutic. Now I just find it to be a waste of space, one of those songs that just makes me shake my head and wonder why this band can't come up with something better than this garbage (and those of you who know me know I have no problem in using the f word). And then there's Everybody's Drunk, which is apparently this album's answer to Beer (a popular number on their major label debut that they've essentially re-written on every record since). The only redeeming quality is the band resurrecting the chorus to Twisted Sister'sWe're Not Gonna Take It, albeit with different lyrics.
That's not to say I don't like anything about this album. The opening rocker Party Down is somewhat creative, even if the midsong shifts are jarring and out of place. The reggae-ish numbers are also strong, most notably Slow Down, which actually shows some real thought in its songwriting, even if a lot of it is simple cliches that have been spouted before. I also like Will the Revolution Come, another reggae/ska number that has a highly enjoyable revved up ending. And Please Don't Tell Her I Have a Girlfriend is an enjoyable departure, thanks to it's Irish folk song sound.
The re-recorded tracks are mostly duds, although Way Back is classic RBF, while Cannibal features some impressive instrument work from everyone in the band.
Monkeys For Nothin' and the Chimps For Free is a slight improvement over the band's last record, but it's still far from their best. I don't know if all the lineup changes has finally caught up to them, or if they just don't care anymore, but longtime fans should want and expect more. I give this a very hesitant recommendation to longtime fans, but newcomers should stick to the band's earlier material as their introduction.
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