I’ve been whole-heartedly underwhelmed with this year’s releases. It’s a serious shame that I’m already warding off jaded demons at the ripe young age of twenty. When it comes to pop punk, this battle of discontent flares up like a bad case of syphilis. Anyone who takes this genre seriously, at the very least, must acknowledge the crater left by SCREECHING WEASEL. I cherish my WEASEL records more now than I did in high school. It was a simpler time with simpler music. But before I start ranting about Victory Records (or something equally as frustrating) I have to sing some serious praise for Ben Weasel’s new solo record, These Ones Are Bitter.

I dare you to find a SCREECHING WEASEL fan that doesn’t carry a hefty grain of salt when listening to them. You could never deny that the band rehearsed their music at the altar of THE RAMONES. This was even more blatant with Ben’s later work in THE RIVERDALES. Yet, this has never been a bothersome feature of Ben Weasel’s bands. In fact, it has become so commonplace that few people even notice anymore. However, the interesting aspect of These Ones Are Bitter is this seems to be the farthest Mr. Weasel has ever strayed from his late-70′s idols.

“Let Freedom Ring” kicks off the disc with an unfamiliar serious tone. The chord progressions actually sound like they came out of this decade. These songs sound more like something you’d find on one of THE EXPLOSION’s records than My Brain Hurts. Though, even with a more contemporary feel, Ben Weasel’s nasally vocal chords provide the momentum that we’re used to. The second track, “In A Few Days”, features some incredible backing harmonies during the group choruses.

Lyrically, These Ones… treads familiar WEASEL territory but the themes never reach the peak of levity like “I Wanna Be A Homosexual” did. Then again, I’ve never looked for intellectual stimulation in pop punk.

Given my lack of contributions to Pastepunk in the past few months, take this review as a testament to its worth. Potential buyers should know this is a download-only release on Ben’s new label, Mendota Recording Co. Even if, like me, you are reluctant to crossover into the digital side of the music industry, a record as good as this is well worth the adjustment.

Mendota Recording Co.

http://www.mendotarecording.com/