Review Summary: Mad nostalgia from a hidden gem
Does anyone remember when the Barenaked Ladies were actually good? While I'm too young to remember those days, I've certainly heard more than my fare share of reminisces for those long gone times and many complaints from my once-hip parents whining about modern alternative radio. Because of their dissatisfaction, I grew up with this record in my car's CD deck, spinning for what seemed like endlessly. As such, I've become quite acquainted with the LP. At its core, the album is nothing more than a collection of pop rock anthems done by a bunch of goofy adults who came from nowheresville University in the middle of where the-hell-is-here Canada. However, the record is so much more than that.
For such a straight-forward album, it's incredibly hard to pigeonhole its sound. It's too quirky to be called pop and too jazzy to be called alternative. With a sense of humor that hasn't been seen or heard of since, these five college losers from the land of hockey created one of the most underrated albums of the early 90's. Successfully combining dorky humor with unadulterated sincerity is not an easy task, but BNL definitely make it look easy on Gordon. If anything has changed in the 23 years since this album's release, is that the songwriting is like fine wine- it gets better and better. The hilarious lines from "Grade 9" are still clever, and the much more subdued "Brian Wilson" continues to reign supreme as the group's best song. "If I had $1,000,000" is a close second to the aforementioned track, and is still the super romantic song that the dorks sing to their girlfriends it always was. The great moments aren't limited to those three though. Standouts "New Kid on the block", "Blame it all on me", and opener "Hello City" are all pitch-perfect quirky slabs of the sensitive college rock BNL have turned into an art.
I hesitate to label this album a classic because its cultural impact was not significant. It's no Nevermind or Blue album. It may not have defined a genre or a generation, but it sure defined my childhood. It shaped what I look for in music even today. Maybe it’s the nostalgia tinting my glasses rose, but the rock solid songwriting, utter lack of filler, creative lyrics, and giddy sense of humor that permeates every track here comes together in one of the best and most underrated albums of all time. If you ever miss the 90's, here lies some of the best aged music of the decade. It sure yields some mad nostalgia for those that remember.
