Wheatus - Too Soon Monsoon

Unless you were hidden under a rock, chances are you remember “Teenage Dirtbag,” the runaway radio hit of years past. Well, contrary to popular belief, the band behind that song, Wheatus, didn’t fall off the face of the Earth. They had some label issues, giving birth to an album lovingly entitled Suck Fony, and battled through some hard times, but after much strife they are back with their third album Too Soon Monsoon. Jumping out of the gate is the very catchy and addictive “Something Good,” quickly followed by the equally catchy, but shorter, “In The Melody.” Although both tracks are high quality songs, they reflect a not so high quality production value, with somewhat muddy cymbals, guitars, and vocal tracks. Thankfully for the band, the lack of million dollar production doesn’t take away from the overall song quality at all. A left-field track on this disc is one of my personal favorites, “BMX Bandits,” inspired by the Australian film of the same name. Starring Nicole Kidman, it’s the story of a group of friends and their bikes (think “Rad” and “Gleaming The Cube”). My friend and I were addicted to that movie as little kids, and it’s good to know someone else even knew it existed. “London Sun” is definitely the crown jewel of the disc, and I could easily see it as a radio hit with the right marketing and budget. “I Am What I Is” is a great track, but its title sounds like Paul Wall song. What IT DO?!? “The Truth I Tell Myself” takes a turn towards seriousness and pulls it off well, leading into the very serious “Hometown,” a September 11th song that is not the usual corny tribute junk. It’s not the best song on the disc, but the superb ending, with the sing along kids and funky guitar riff, leaves you with a fond memory. “This Island” shows a bit of anger as it builds to a nice peak and sustains interest as a great “fuck off” song. The album tails off a bit at the end unfortunately, with “Who Would Have Thought” a song that doesn’t quite fit since it is the only song featuring female voice of Liz Brown, and “No Happy Ending Tune,” a track that starts off very boring but builds to a decent end. Two live tracks (“BMX Bandits” and “London Sun”) wrap up what is a stellar pop rock album from a forgotten act. Although the lead singer might be a striking point, since he has such a unique voice, the songs on this disc should appeal to a wide array of listeners. If you want a catchy rock album for the springtime, you can’t go wrong with this one. [www.wheatus.com]