Really Really Happy Reviews
Universe Revolves Around The Muffs, Scientists Acknowledge Zilch
I love dumping on Southern California. Usually for no reason beyond lame prejudice (that, and I haven't been able to get away with dumping on England for years), but the relatively paucity of good so-cal rock bands in the '90's/zeros has made it easy.
The big exception to the rule, however, is The Muffs. Kim Shattuck has been making the pop genius thing look easy for years now...though I suspect there's nothing easy about it. The new Muffs album, 'Really Really Happy' isn't a massive departure from their last couple, and that's not a bad thing. Musically, Shattuck's songs (the harder rocking ones at least) are deceptively formulaic --- that is, if you consider ridiculously catchy 2-3 minute blasters accompanied by her sometimes mournful, sometimes funny, always smart lyrical observations to be a formula. As consistently great songwriters go, she has few equals. Dropping the names of Bob Pollard and Ray Davies only serves to get your hackles up, but what's a hackle or two between friends. Though she's not made nearly the sorta stylistic leaps characteristic of either of those two gentlemen, Kim's hit vs. miss ratio is staggeringly high.
To say the rhythm section of Ronnie Barnett (bass) and Roy McDonald (drums) serve as the perfect foil(s) to Shattuck doesn't really do them justice. For one thing, if you've ever tried to use aluminum foil in place of a rhythm section, you'd know it sounds terrible. And please, feel free to add the Muffs to my list of ridiculously great rock trios that wouldn't make Little Steven's hit parade (though in Silvio's defense, the Muffs were a quartet way back when)
They're the only band on earth to let CC Deville play a solo on one of their records and not lose their dignity in the process. The Muffs' latest is available now on the Five Foot Two record label, and if you've never checked them out or just presumed they weren't your kind of thing, well, perhaps they aren't. But wouldn't you'd rather have an informed opinion?
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Kim Shattuck
and the boys are really, really happy these days. Is it because
of
the economy? Probably
not. Is it because of the weather? I doubt it. Is it because of
prescription drugs? ...Possibly. No, as anyone who's been following
The Muffs' career for the past decade or so could tell you, it's
because their band has just released its sixth album, and it's
really, really good.
Back before Green Day, The Offspring and other '90s faux-punk acts
of the like, The Muffs were hard at work keeping up where The Ramones
and others left off. Shattuck, the band's front woman, sings as
if her throat is caught in a bear trap, yet manages to hit highs
and lows in a variety of interesting ways to make up quick, catchy
melodies that would make Gwen Stefani say, "Why didn't I think
of that?"
Throw in some fuzzy guitars and a smart, up-tempo drum beat, and
you've got the recipe for The Muffs' success as an alt-punk-grunge-rock-garage-whatever-you-want-to-call-them
band from Southern California. While their songs are short and
admittedly similar to each other, the trio's energy and knack for
tasty song writing come across strong.
In 1993, grunge was in its heyday. Cobain was still alive, a Bush
was still president, and fledgling rock bands like The Muffs were
trying to make a name for themselves in the changing times. Back
then, anyone with a garage and a few instruments could be in a
band. Eleven years and six albums later, The Muffs are probably
thanking themselves for sticking with it.
Their latest album, released Aug. 10 and titled "Really Really
Happy," is a sigh of relief from a band who has seen trends
and genres come and go while maintaining a true sound.
"
Freak Out," which has seen some radio exposure on Andy Langer's "Next
Big Thing," starts off the new record on an up note. That
note is then held for 16 more songs and never wavers. Each song
is a three-minute affirmation of all things quick and easy. Listening
to the record is like biting into a juicy, rapidly prepared hamburger.
It is satisfying and delicious, though not exactly fare of the
highest quality.
The risky thing about making a record with 17 songs is that you
run the risk of the listener getting bored with the material. This
is not the case, however, with "Really Really Happy." The
songs are so fun that you forget how much they sound like each
other. And because they are so short, the lengthy number of tracks
only amounts to a little over 40 minutes of material.
Maybe someday mainstream radio will see fit to include the likes
of The Muffs in its rotation. I highly doubt it, however. A band
like The Muffs must rely on word of mouth, good press, heavy touring
and the occasional breakthrough track that finds its way on to
the airwaves of an alternative Sunday night showcase program. If
you're in the mood to support a fun band that continually puts
out good material, pick up a copy of "Really Really Happy." Then
take a trip back in time and buy The Muffs' other records. |
The Muffs demand
repeat listenings
By MIKE MOODY
Special to The Herald
August 26, 2004 — Progression can be a great thing in life
and, most especially, in pop music, but some things should never
change. Add The Muffs to that small list of bands whose refusal
to grow up has worked in their favor.
The Muffs have been happily strumming the same three chords that
back singer Kim Shattuck’s short and sweet singalong diary
entries since their debut album was released in 1993.
Their songs, which have always tended to file themselves in the
pop corner of punk rock bookshelf, are consistently catchy and
short enough to demand repeat listening.
Really Really Happy is no exception.
Comparisons to The Ramones are inevitable — only three of
the 17 upbeat tracks on Happy run over three minutes and The Muffs
waste no time plowing through most of them, but the band also pours
some of their affection for 1960’s garage pop and ska bombast
into the mix.
The opener “Freak Out” is a speedy, sugary number that
is over before you’ve had time to memorize the repeating
chorus.
The requisite minimalist guitar solo echos the chorus line and
Shattuck’s scratchy vocals cadence from high to hoarse in
the same verse. It’s classic Muffs.
Shattuck’s vocals are The Muff’s most memorable sound.
She can turn a phrase from sweet to rancid instantly with a gruff
whine that rarely gets gimmicky.
Sometimes she sounds like Bart Simpson’s famed antagonizer
Nelson fronting his own pop outfit (an extra bonus for imaginative “Simpsons”
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Punk rockers are not supposed to grow up or mature, because if
they do, they’re accused of losing their edge—or worse,
selling out. Because punk rockers are people and all people change
as they age, they’re stuck in a bind—what to do to
remain at least kinda true to yourself?
My suggestion would be to pick up this disc, because Muffs’ singer
and songwriter Kim Shattuck has dropped her seemingly endless supply
of vitriolic screeds and has made a soundtrack that is aptly described
by the disc’s title. Beloved by her cult as the master of
brilliantly catchy and mildly hostile ditties, Shattuck drops the
latter and embraces a whole new set of ideas—that the love
of a mate is a precious luxury (“A Little Luxury”)
as well as the positively Pet Sounds-like “Everybody Loves
You.”
Fans of the early group may be completely flabbergasted by this,
not to mention the nearly chantuese-like quality in the singing
and an occasional stab at what might be termed “jazzy” guitar
playing. But this is growth and courage speaking here—the
Muffs haven’t lost their zeal, they’ve just moved it
into a realm where they’re comfortable with it. If you aren’t,
it’s your loss. (JA)
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Muffs CD
Makes People Really Happy
Stacy Fentress
Special to TriCities.com
Aug 20, 3:14 PM EDT
The new Muffs album is called Really Really Happy, and that’s exactly how
I felt when it arrived in the mail. It’s been five years since
the last Muffs album, and I have missed them.
Vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Kim Shattuck started the Muffs 13 years
ago in California, and after several lineup changes and shakeups, the trio
also includes
Ronnie Barnett on bass and Roy McDonald on drums.
They were signed by Warner Brothers and released their debut full-length in
1993. Like
many great bands of the early 1990s, the Muffs had their fair share of problems
with major record labels, which consisted of the usual fights over artistic differences
and the ever burdensome, “I don’t hear a single,” complaint. One
of the band’s videos featured the band jumping up and down and going nuts
during a meeting with a bunch of boring people who were allegedly supposed to
represent A & R reps.
Really Really Happy has seen the band move to a new label, Five Foot Two Records,
which is run by fellow musicians Anna Waronker and Charlotte Caffey. The
atmosphere at the label is more relaxed, and Shattuck believes that has enhanced
the band’s work. She has said that Really Really Happy is the best
album the Muffs have done since 1995’s Blonder and Blonder.
It is a laid back rock record where Shattuck displays the versatility of her
unique voice. There are some of her trademark screams, but for the most
part, she sings. Sometimes the sounds she makes with her voice are more
prevalent than the words she uses, like in the songs Everybody Loves You, My
Lucky Day and How I Pass the Time. Her pronunciation is more important
to the sound of the songs than the actual lyrics.
Don’t Pick On Me showcases one of my favorite things about Shattuck-her
ability to write “leave me alone or you’ll be sorry” lyrics
that are completely authentic without sounding like she’s looking for a
fight. She doesn’t pull any punches either. She clearly says, “You’re
pushing me too far…And if you don’t stop I’ll take you to the
end of your life.” She also repeats, “Don’t pick on me
or I will torture you…” in the chorus of the song. And,
more importantly, she says it in a way that makes the listener believe that
she is completely serious.
Shattuck’s phrasing is particularly interesting in the song Freak Out,
where she starts off with minimal guitar singing, “About myself, what do
you want to know.” She has a keen sense of what sounds right in a
song, and her unique phrasings only add to the overall sound of a song. She
truly uses her voice as an instrument-she doesn’t just sing a song, she
truly performs it.
While there are a number of standout songs, the album sounds best when taken
as a whole. Whoever sequenced the songs knew how to arrange them for optimum
effect. While it isn’t a concept album, each song does seem to
build off the one before.
The Muffs are planning to tour in September. So far, the closest date to
the Tri Cities is September 16 in Atlanta, but they are planning to tour heavily
to promote Really Really Happy, so maybe they’ll hit a closer market
soon.
Regardless of where you live, Really Really Happy is a great album for people
who like their pop to pack a punch (sometimes reminiscent of the really cool
garage bands of the 1960s).
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