Search - Nothing Painted Blue :: Taste the Flavor

Great pop album

Scott Jacobson | Brooklyn, NY United States | 01/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A witty and endlessly catchy valedictory from a pop band that seemed resigned to its too-everything-for-the-room fate. They were too smart, too literary, too self-aware, and too easy to for critics to dismiss as quirky or grad student cerebral after a cursory listen. But sample "Longer Leash": every component of the song sounds like it's been removed, polished to a shine and snapped back into place, with Bruno's flatly expressive voice pleasantly scuffing the surface. "Self-Contained" harkens back to NPB's days as Minutemen-influenced pop-punks, and has the most infectious, indelible chorus on the album. "Take Your Own Advice" and "Swan Song" are fatalist and plenty sad; "Human Shield" and "Jessica's Got A Rope Burn" are romantically defeatist; the most optimistic song on the album is called "Dry Spell." All in all, "Taste the Flavor" is a bitter goodbye, but it doesn't leave the listener bitter. Try the singles compilation if you want the best introduction, or the "Placeholders" LP if you want the catchiest and most flat-out brilliant, but stop here for one of the worthiest pop albums of 2005."