Quit Your Dayjob

Sweden We Got a Problem (2005)

Jordan Rogowski

Short, fast, and to the point. That's a mantra that Sweden's Quit Your Day Job lives by. Their mix of punk and electroclash is a formidable one, but before the half an hour of the album is over, I'd be lying if I said it didn't grow pretty tiresome.

The formula that they operate on is a simple one: Keep songs under two minutes, and implement as much synthesizer as you possibly can. It becomes obnoxious the more and more that you listen. "She Male Godzilla" is a perfect example of this, as it repeats the same bass-like synth part for the entire song, and it doesn't grow on you, just annoys. The singer's vocals come in short, spastic bursts, but even that's not enough to cover up the thick, overbearing synth parts. Where the vocals are at the forefront, they're real solid, and fit the tune and style of the music to a tee. Choppy is the best word to describe probably the entire album. That's exactly how the vocals appear, thick and choppy, just enough to beard over the synths and the occasional, also choppy guitar parts. "Sperms Are Germs" presents a crackling synth line with quick flashes of dissonant guitar and vocals, but that's quickly transitioned into "Evil Ray," which is probably the most musically traditional effort on the album, opting to be entirely done by guitar, bass, and drums. Frankly, I like this style much better than when they incorporate those obnoxious synth lines, which don't give anything else a chance to breathe. They've got plenty of spunk and attitude, but there's not really a whole lot to be found beyond that. I'm sure that the band isn't taking themselves very seriously with an effort like Sweden We Got a Problem, but just the same, there's some minor changes that could be made to make this a real enjoyable effort.

In the end, it all boils down to just three words: Too much synth.

European release only.