Limp

Limp (2002)

imabigjerk

In past years I have enjoyed releases from Limp. Their style of pop-punk was quite accessible and easy to like. Both "Pop and Disorderly" and "Guitarded" are equally good albums. They were in constant rotation in my player on their release but since then have found a place in a shoebox in my closet. This new self-titled album though, is not even up to par, it won't gain a spot in my musical rotation. Limp kind of disappeared the last few years, and we haven't heard much from them. In the time since their last record we have seen a rise in popularity of pop-punk, and a virtual flooding of the market with this sound. That is one reason why this release just isn't doing it for me.

But perhaps the most obvious reason is the fact that I just can no longer stand the lead singer's (Phil's) voice. It was literally a fight for me to get through this album in it's entirety. Annoying, whiny, nasal vocals over top of hollow guitars and average drum and bass is not my idea of a great album…and sadly that's about all this is.

The first song "Oh No" was featured on the recent Honest Don's sampler, and for good reason, it's the best track on this album. Quite reminiscient of old Limp, a classic pop-punk melody. But from there's it's straight downhill, the pinnacle of despairity being "Therapy", song number five…and the point at which I most often ejected this disc in favor of something else, something with a bit more substance.

There are many factors that contribute to my dislike of this album. Primarily Phil's voice is the reason why I can't stomach it, but also contributing is the oversaturaion of pop-punk in today's market and the recent release of a few excellent cd's (like Bad religion and Thrice).

I expected this disc to rock hard but instead, it comes off a bit limp (puns intended). I award it two stars, one for each of their previous records…if you're a big Limp fan, you'll enjoy it. If you're not a huge Limp fan, spend your music money elsewhere.