Internet Dating Superstuds,
The VandalsI've said this before and I'm going to have to say it again - The Vandals, in my eyes, are quite possibly the most frustrating band in the world. I've never known a band who can strike absolute genius one minute with some of the worst songs you'll ever hear just seconds later. But that's Dave Quackenbush and co for you - and 'Internet Dating Superstuds' doesn't break the mould. Infact it's exactly as you'd expect, one song is mindblowing, the other crap. But hey, to expect anything more would surely be too much.
For anyone who lives under a rather large rock, The Vandals originate from Huntington Beach, California and have released some of the best pop-punk albums you'll ever come across. Infact ask many of today's young guns and they will all cite The Vandals as being a huge influence. Each of their last few albums has shifted more than 100,000 copies and there's no doubt that this record will do the same. It's just a pity that it's standard Vandals fare and is unlikely to pick up that many new fans.
'43210-1' has that typical stop-start daft riff and the same old lyrics and breakdown that litter every other Vandals record. It's not that bad by any means, just a little predictable and you get that sense of 'heard-it-all-before'. But then 'Appreciate My Honesty' comes along and blows away all the cobwebs by being quite utterly fantastic. Great riff, great vocals, great song. 'I'm Becoming You' has a riff that seems strangely familiar, but it's a good riff, so all is forgiven. The song itself is also fairly good and the chorus is spot-on, but then the inconsistencies strike. 'Disproportioned Head' is ridiculously stupid, and 'Soccer Mom' is just plain bad until the chorus kicks in.
'We'll All Get Laid' uses a very similar riff to most of the other tracks on this album, but it's short enough to still be enjoyable. 'Little Weirdo' is reasonably good too, although the silly humour has really been heard a million times before - by this band. 'I Can't Wait' is good though, a definite return to form unlike the diabolical 'Where's Your Dignity?' which starts off extremely slow and rapidly goes downhill. Words cannot describe how bad this song really is. 'My Brain Tells My Body' is better - but not by all that much. It's average really. 'When I Say You, I Mean Me' is much better, picking up the pace and really nailing a song complete with all the relevant singalong parts. And the fantstic 'The Unseen Tears Of The Albacore' really makes you tear your hair out, because in the space of four songs The Vandals have gone from sheer brilliance to sheer stupidity. But, true to form, three great songs in a row would just be a little too much and the piss poor 'My Brother Is Gay' trundles out of the stereo. Yes, the lyrics are amusing - but they've said it all a million times before!
So it's typical Vandals stuff, which means you'll probably either love it or hate it. The good stuff certainly outweighs the bad but I can't help but think that a band who once led their genre by a fair distance are now being left trailing in the wake of a good few others.
Paul.
