Review Summary: Stunt Features some of the most fun pop songs of 90’s, but there is one problem: "ONE WEEK".
FUCK ONE WEEK!!!
Stunt is Barenaked Ladies Fourth Studio Album. It was released after the disappointing “Born O A Pirate Ship”. After their Amazing Debut, band’s later 2 Studio Albums earned mixed critical and commercial success and it was time for a comeback single and an album. Stunt was not only a major success and a comeback they needed, it was their most successful album to date. Its lead single was a number one hit on billboard hot 100 and It’s All been Done and Call & Answer enjoyed modest success too. The Band always had trouble breaking into US, but this was their breakthrough album there. Reaching number 3 on the Album Charts and selling over 5 million copies there, it was an enormous success. But Did It deserve all of that success?
Yes… and NO
It’s true that the album as a whole is good, but there is one big problem. One Week is one of the most annoying and obnoxious pop tunes of the 90’s. I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT THAT TRACK. EVERYTHING. From its clunky beat, unbearable lyrics, The song structure, everything about this track is absolute garbage!
This was the first song I heard by BNL and they quickly became a joke to me and all my friends to whom I showed this song. I shrugged them of as one hit wonders and didn’t even care to look into their discography for a long time. Then one time I Accidentally heard “Brian Wilson” and well I was in shock. That song has become one of my favorite pop songs of the 90’s and so I decided to listen to their albums. First one I listened to was Stunt and I thought: “well only their debut can be good, there is no way I am going to enjoy this”. How wrong was I.
This album starts with me skipping that atrocious Chickety China (or YATZ BEEN) song. So I am going into this album with very low expectations, I basically expected crap. Then Yatz All Been Done Plays and I am instantly shocked. This is an amazing song. It has 60’s pop written all over it and just as I said I love it. I have to mention how good the vocals are here. Steven Page is one of my personal favorite singers of 90’s and this song definitely showcases his talents. Another great thing about this song are it’s lyrics which are funny and well-written (Take note One Week), “And if I play the same three chords, Will you just yawn and say, It's all been done” I love that lyric so much!!!
After It’s All Been Done I was willing to give the band a chance seeing how much I loved that song so I went into the album with not knowing what to expect and TBH I only really liked 2 songs on the first listen: It's All Been Done & Light Up My Room, Later being a nice acoustic ballad sung wonderfully by Ed Robertson. But I saw myself listening to this album over and over until I had to admit that I really liked the album. for a moment it actually became my most listened album on Spotify, even beating number one spot to one and only Corey MOTHERF*****G FELDMAN’s Angelic 2 The Core!
Almost every single song grew on me. Apart from the still awful and disjointed One Week, the worst parts of the aren’t that bad actually. Leave is an obvious filler track, Everything in that song is good. the verses and even that “DUDUDU” are really good, but there is not enough here. There isn’t really a chorus here (well I don’t count that dududu shit to be the chorus). Leave feels half-baked, almost complete opposite of the next track “Alcohol” which isn’t as bad as it is overstuffed and underdeveloped. It feels like a lot of good ideas were thrown into this song and none of them were fully utilized. And those sugary, glossy Synths just sound terrible.
Apart from those songs, this is a perfect 90’s pop album. From fun and surf poppy “In The Car” to incredibly funny “Never Is Enough” to one of the catchiest songs of the 90’s “Who Needs Sleep” to Collaboration “Some Fantastic” where the chemistry between the two singers is incredible. Those songs might be really good, but some of the album’s finest moments come in it’s ballads. Like on “Told You So” or “When You Dream” which was written about Steven Page’s 2 year old song. Page wonders on this song what his son dreams about and it’s incredibly cute. He wonders if his son dreams about “music or mathematics, Jesus or quantum mechanics, or angels who sing lullabies?”. One of the most heart-felt and earnest song they’ve ever written. But the song that grew on me the most has to be “Call & Answer”. While that song on the first couple of listens will seem really boring it will definitely appreciate it more as you listen to it. And that ending is pure ear candy.
While this album may not be a masterpiece, it offers enough great matter to justify buying it. There is almost something for everyone here and most people will like this album probably more than I did.
Favorite Tracks: It’s All Been Done, Light Up My Room, When You Dream, Who Needs Sleep?, I’ll Be That Girl
Worst Track: ONE WEEK. Need I say More?
3.5/5
