Album Name: ‘Something for the Rest of Us’

Artist: Goo Goo Dolls

Genre: Pop/Rock

Sounds like: A Goo Goo Dolls highlight reel

Soundwaves: 3/5

Release Date: August 31, 2010

Releasing its first studio album in nearly four years, the Goo Goo Dolls sticks to its guns with a successful formula of scripted pop rock singles and sugary ballads. ‘Something for the Rest of Us’ is a well-produced album that should yield a few hits, making it a worthy addition to the Goo Goo Dolls catalogue. Just don’t expect them to reinvent the wheel.

‘Something for the Rest of Us’ is like a ‘Transformers’ sequel — cliché subject matter loosely concerning love, lust and angst with a few memorable quotes and tons of slow-motion sequences. All of that is packaged with an inevitable sense of predictability. The lyrics aren’t terrible, but frontman John Rzeznik has done better. The songs just don’t bring the same distress and power we heard in ‘Dizzy Up the Girl’ or ‘Gutterflower.’ There are various metaphors involving darkness, change, slipping away and last-ditch hope. It’s all too easy to fill in the blanks of this new album.

It’s not the most inspired work that Rzeznik and the band have put out, but it’s still a satisfying listen. ‘Sweetest Lie’ is an up-tempo rocker that kicks off the album on a strong note. The ‘oh-oh-oh-oh’ rhythmic chants of the chorus are reminiscent of U2, making for a catchy and sing-along opening track. In terms of composition, instrumentation and vocal delivery, the moody ‘As I Am’ sounds formulaic and indistinguishable from a 1998-era Goo Goo Dolls song. Not many bands sound as good as they did in their prime. The Goo Goo Dolls is an exception and hasn’t lost its touch.

The lead single ‘Home’ comes next, with pounding drums and a powerful chord-driven chorus that rocks out pretty well. But cheesy lyrics like ‘Come take me home tonight’ and ‘Lost without you’ really sound tired. These are the ‘Transformers’ moments that hurt the album. ‘Not Broken’ follows suit: It begins with a sweet acoustic riff before exploding into an overly dramatic chorus that’s better suited for the climax of a bad movie.

‘One Night’ has some great electric guitar work and terrific beat, making it the album’s standout track. ‘Nothing Is Real,’ ‘Still Your Song,’ and title track ‘Something for the Rest of Us’ are standard piano-power, chord-chorus ballads with a grind that is perfect after a rough day. The quality takes a step backward with ‘Now I Hear’ and ‘Say You’re Free’ — passable tracks featuring the vocally inept bassist Robby Takac singing lead. Fortunately, ‘Hey Ya’ (no relation to the OutKast song) and ‘Soldier’ end the album on a high note, with Rzeznik giving powerful vocal performances, especially on the latter song.

At this point, the Goo Goo Dolls must be admired for its commitment to style. Catchy pop rock ballads and melodic acoustic ditties are its bread and butter. We can’t forget that sticking to that script is what allowed the Goo Goo Dolls to break into the mainstream in the first place. It’s unfair to expect a veteran band with a career spanning more than 20 years to completely alter its style and approach. This is not a statement album that tries to prove a point or address a new audience. Rather, ‘Something for the Rest of Us’ is what results from a band that knows its sound, knows its audience and is satisfied with releasing well-produced albums that it knows will hold up.

Ajhaeder@syr.edu

 

Published on August 29, 2010 at 12:00 pm