HAVING been barely a teenager when I first clapped ears on Self Esteem, it became one of the first songs to soundtrack a rebellion into angsty-rock, albeit a polite one that didn't involve tattoos or spitting at each other.
I suppose, lyrically, it is the first showing of their 'clever' lyrics, playing out a tale of a man who is being disrespected and abused by his girlfriend ('the more you suffer, the more it shows you really care...').
The album Smash then gave us Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated), which was the best song I've heard yet about 'playground' violence, and Gotta Get Away with its visceral drums and sinister guitar riff and strained scream.
Then the follow up Ixnay on the Hombre was just as angry - as demonstrated by the two tracks featured here: All I Want and Gone Away.
Try, if you can to forgive them their 'lighter' moments Pretty Fly (For a White Guy), the Ob-la-di-Ob-la-da rip off Why Don't You Get A Job, Original Prankster and Hit That, and this album looks really good.
You could always skip through a couple of tracks in the middle and have an ace album.
Joel Sawyer
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