REVIEWS:
The New Radicals weren't a rap act or a band of unbelievable musical revolutionaries to save the planet from the crap that's infested the radio airwaves lately, but a one-man project in the tradition of such 90s 'bands' as Nine Inch Nails, Primitive Radio Gods, and the Foo Fighters' debut (before Dave Grohl actually put together a backing band). The debut (and only album from the 'band' before a split in 1999) was Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too, a quite impressive record filled with undoubtedly addictive songs and highly clever lyrics.
--Nick Karn
Post your comments about New Radicals
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
A great showcase of some of the most addictive songs in quite some time, most of the New Radicals' debut lives up to the first single's standard. That single in question, "You Get What You Give", which is one of the most seriously infectious songs I've ever experienced, with the chorus and verse sections being more uplifting than I can possibly put into words, and extremely clever lyrics which are clearly a shot at the industry (Beck, Courtney Love, and Marilyn Manson are in fact mentioned by name) - it's the album's clear masterpiece and it's actually one of my favorite songs of all time. "I Hope I Didn't Just Give Away The Ending" is nearly as effective, with a beautifully odd spoken word scat section that is a perfect counterpart for the rest of the song - the lyrics are again impressively resonant for the decade.
"Jehovah Made This Whole Joint For You" is politically charged melodic heaven that very much convinces me that there is still hope for music as a whole, while the ballads "Gotta Stay High" and "Someday We'll Know" have first-rate, gorgeous melodies and atmosphere with well-crafted lyrics, and the closing "Crying Like A Church On Monday" is also beautiful as might be suggested by its' title. As much as I'd like to give Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too a 9 or 10 as one of the most addictive and seriously passionate albums I've come across in recent times, though, a couple tracks in particular are a bit too weak - the title track is unintelligible lyrically and is actually the only melodically uninteresting number, while the opener "Mother We Just Can't Get Enough", while not that bad, is just a bit too derivative of a certain band called The Rolling Stones (Gregg Alexander even reminds of Mick Jagger vocally at numerous times during this release). A promising outing though, but unfortunately the only New Radicals album.
Post your comments / reviews for this album