THE MUFFS
Really Really Happy (Five Foot Two)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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Starving for some good news? Turn off CNN, put down that paper and I'll give you some news worth celebrating. Ready? The Muffs didn't break up. Oh, I know, it's been five years, so I thought they were done, too. But here they are: brand new album, brand new label, and the things you love about 'em are still intact and the things that usually happen after a five year layoff didn't happen to 'em. See? What'd I tell you? Good news. The new songs are loveable, danceable and hummable, and if they're not all necessarily memorable, enough of them are to earn Really Really Happy a place on your shelf of favorites. Drummer Roy McDonald (ex-Redd Kross) and bassist Ronnie Barnett slam down some of their most sure and powerful beats, and guitarist/vocalist Kim Shattuck is at the top of her game. The diverse material on this album lets her work the spectrum, from hard as nails rock ("By My Side." "Oh Poor You") to expertly crafted power pop ("Really Really Happy," "The Story Of Me") to a modern approximation of girl group rock ("My Lucky Day") to harmonica-n-strum balladry ("Fancy Girl"). As always, she's a step above convincing; she's authentic, and truly entertaining. Nice to know The Muffs are alive and well. Hopefully they'll be as inspired by this CD as their fans are going to be and it'll lead to a follow up that arrives well before 2009.

© 2004 - DJ Johnson