BLUE MEANIES
The Post Wave (MCA)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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They've been on what... 4 indie labels and had 18 members come and go? For any other band that's something to write on a tombstone, but apparently MCA decided to look the other way on that stuff and have the band sign a contract. And then -- get this, this is my favorite part -- Blue Meanies turn out a spectacular album that is nearly perfect in all the ways where perfect is good. The playing is so tight you'd think these particular players had been together for decades, and the songs are as potent as ever, and maybe more so. "Do The Tightbelt" doesn't just lament the drag of extreme poverty, it describes sticking up Photomats and liquor stores to put food on the table, and with desperation that's palpable. "Lose Your Mind" has no hidden meaning. The lyrics simply think along the lines of a person who has lost the grip. Nothing hidden in "Chemicals, Chemicals, Chemicals," either. Plain and simply, the complaint is that everything has been soiled by humanity. Puzzle fans can still have some fun picking at songs like "Creepy Creepy Creepy," which might be about... or... Oh never mind, you figure it out. There's very little ska left in Blue Meanies, and the humor is much more subtle, but there's definitely a new maturity, and if nothing else, the toughness of survivors. If they can keep this band intact, the next one will be the masterpiece. Meanwhile, this is very, very close.

© 2001 - DJ Johnson