Straight Outta Junior High

Mongoloid Monarchy (2005)

Alex Marriott

People who buy a Straight Outta Junior High record should not, in my opinion, be expecting record of the year. Come to think of it, probably not even record of the month. Fans of the previous two efforts know that the wacky, fun, and very high school reminiscent (well, if you're like me, when you first got into punk rock, seemingly a care-free type of music centred around absurd lyrics and good-time songs…okay okay, what I mean to say is "Blink-182") brand of music SOJH play will never be ground-breaking, hugely thought-provoking or inspirational.

Add to that the fact that their third effort is not that different (surprise, surprise) from Kiss Of Deaf and you may be asking "where does that leave this record?" or "what's the point then?" Additionally, you may also say "these lyrics are not funny. I would have found this shit funny when I was 12" or "these guys are like, soooooooooooo immature."

Well, fair enough. All I can write is my opinion, which on this occasion I can sum up as "good, but not great." I enjoyed the last album, and I must say I enjoy this one slightly more, the main upgrade being in the guitar department. The riffs are catchier this time round and more inventive on the ol' fret board, the best example being the extremely strong opener, "USF." When songs are this fun and catchy, even the most jaded of punkers should be able to enjoy them. Sure, you can bitch about the lack of hilarity in the lyrics if you want, but I'm guessing you would take lines like "He'd never rape like Kobe Bryant, or pay them off just to keep quiet" over something about slitting wrists over girls, etc. Or songs about crackheads or Target over today's emo crap. That being said, the brilliant "Down With Anarchy" makes a decent point about how truly fucked we would be if anarchy actually happened as so many kids scream for with their t-shirts and sew-on patches.

Unfortunately, this album suffers from a few drab songs. The middle section of the album is just not as good as the first 4 tracks and can leave the listener feeling disappointed after the strong start. Things pick up towards the end, however, after the quite long and boring (by comparison) "Don't You Dare Ever Break Up With Me."

Anyway, this review ends here. If you like this band, you will like this. If you don't like this band, Mongoloid Monarchy will not change that. If you have never heard this band, check the link. Just like I said: Good, not great.