These Are The Good Times People
Fugitive Recordings / EMI
03/11/2008
These Are the Good Times People is chock full of the whimsy you might have come to expect from The Presidents of the United States of America. There’s hardly a substandard track amongst the fourteen on the album. That presents a problem for POTUSA though, as all the songs are equally whimsical. There are no real standouts like “Lump” or “Peaches” to push this one to the sales of their debut effort. The closest thing to a single is “Mixed Up S.O.B.,” which seems shifted out of its natural place to the front of the album, perhaps with single in mind. Even that might be difficult with some radio stations preferring not to play songs with that particular word, at least not as part of the titular chorus. It’s not that this album is bad. It’s just that with its somewhat formulaic whimsy rock it falls squarely between Cake and They Might Be Giants. Not that those guys don’t have fans, just that the popularity experienced by this band after their self-titled album came out has probably eclipsed anything they will ever do again. Occasionally they do get their head above water long enough to do something a little more interesting. The swing number “Flame is Love” manages to mix it up musically, and “Mixed Up S.O.B.” not only rocks but also connects with a lot of spiritually wounded men. All in all, this is a recommended record because it’s fun and a clear alternative to anything like emo. Just don’t expect to be wowed or have a life changing epiphany from it.. Sorry guys, you still can’t be naked and famous just yet.
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