Reel Big Fish
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This is a ska punk band from California, that formed in 1991.


tek's rating: ½

Turn the Radio Off
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This is the band's second album, released in 1996. Some of the songs on it are re-recorded versions of songs that originally appeared on their first album, before they signed with Mojo Records. I'm reviewing it in 2024. The liner notes have lyrics, plus pictures of each of the guys in the band.

1. "Sell Out": This is one of two songs I expected to sound familiar, and it does. It's cool. I'm not sure, but it actually sounds like a celebration of selling out, which I think is a nice change of pace.

2. "Trendy": This is fairly fun. But I expect most or all of the songs will be fun.

3. "Join the Club": This feels kind of self-deprecating, but still fun.

4. "She Has a Girlfriend Now": Hey I kinda remember this one. (I've listened to the album before, but that was a bunch of years ago, so I don't remember most of the songs.) It's cool.

5. "Snoop Dog, Baby": I don't know what to say about this, but it's okay.

6. "Beer": This is the other one of two songs I expected to be familiar, and it is. I like it. The lyrics are kind of depressing, but it's still fun. So I started drinking a beer while listening to it.

7. "241": I have no idea what the title means, but it sounds good. It's mostly instrumental.

8. "Everything Sucks": Art imitates life, because in life, everything does suck. But this song doesn't.

9. "S.R.": I don't know what to say about this, except that it's short.

10. "Skatanic": This one sounds stalkery and creepy. I don't like it.

11. "All I Want Is More": I don't really like this one, either.

12. "Nothin'": I don't know what to say about this except that most of the singing is fast. And I don't like it that much.

13. "Say 'Ten'": This is just weird.

14. "I'll Never Be...": This seems to be another self-deprecating one, I guess. But it's fairly upbeat for something so defeatist.

15. "Alternative, Baby": It's not bad.

16. "Cool Ending" (hidden track): This starts with two minutes of silence. Then a couple minutes of self-deprecation. Sounds sort of acoustic and fuzzy, like on a radio station that doesn't come in very well.

Anyway, I thought the album was okay. It mostly sounds good, but I don't always like the lyrics. I don't mind a little defeatism, but sometimes it's more mean-spirited or whatever. Basically, I like the first half of the album a lot more than the second half. But even the first half has some lyrics that are... not particularly happy.


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