Now this is an odd one. Reel Big Fish started off as a zany, madcap band that wowed audiences worldwide with super-cool melodic ska-punk tunes that had thousands skanking and dancing in the aisles. Whether it be songs like ‘Beer’ or ‘Sell Out’, their penchance for the daft and silly was half their appeal. However, as the years passed – and singer Aaron Barrett seemingly fell out with his band members – the Fish have become increasingly cynical, less fun and, unsurprisingly, a shadow of their former selves. Indeed, on the band’s last UK tour they were absolutely dull as Hell live – something I’d never have thought was possible after first seeing them in 1999/2000.
‘We’re Not Happy…’ attempts to fuse the ska-punk that made them famous with a far more scathing and self-loathing lyrical slant, which isn’t so funny, more a little concerning. Mr Barrett clearly has issues, and he’s not afraid of telling the world. ‘Don’t Start A Band’ isn’t so much tongue-in-cheek as spiteful, like a drunken rant at wannabe rock stars informing them they’d be better off out of the ‘business’. It all sounds a little, well, grumpy. The self-loathing and apparent jealousy continues on the strange ‘We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful’, as Aaron yells ‘it should have been me’. I’m not sure if he’s serious or not. What I am sure of is that the synth/keyboard sounds out of place alongside the brass.
‘The Fire’ starts things off oh-so promisingly, however. More ‘Cheer Up’ than ‘Why Do They Rock So hard’, it’s a throwback to the days when the Fish were absolutely fantastic. Nowadays, well more often than not anyway, they’re exceedingly more miss than hit. ‘Drinkin” is half-decent, but merely copies the formula the band have successfully built for themselves over the years, while ‘A-W-E-S-O-M-E’ will split fans down the middle. Personally, I think it’s rubbish. It’s a sad fact that many of these songs are no better than average – ‘Turn The Radio Off’ is little more than filler (and again is very aggressive lyrically), while ‘Story Of My Life’ and ‘The Joke’s On Me’ again seem to characterise Barrett as being some kind of self-loathing depressant fighting to get out of a ska band. I honestly don’t know if he’s poking fun or telling the truth – on ‘One Hit Wonderful’ (which is absolutely dire by the way, as Aaron comes across like a drunken bum) there are even snippets of RBF singles.
This is plain odd really and ‘We’re Not Happy…’ showcases a band that have dramatically fallen from grace. It’s also a record that is more interesting than enjoyable, as at times it appears the CD is more some kind of tortuous diary for Barrett to spill his guts, without coming across as some side-parting emo kid. There’s no doubt the Reel Big Fish of old are dead, but how long Barrett himself can keep going, bearing in mind the bitterness in his lyrics, is certainly open to question. Die-hards might get a kick out of this, but overall this is easily their worst album yet.
www.reelbigfish.com
Jive/Zomba
Paul