NBrid

Like their website url says, the Presidents rock! And they're back with the United States of America! In a nice change of pace from the usual "Hate Everybody" themes of modern music, The Presidents of the USA bring us "Love Everybody!"

Some bands sound like 37 other bands. Some bands are so unique that the instant you hear a new song of theirs, you know who it's by. The Presidents of the United States of America (Chris Ballow, Dave Dederer, and Jason Finn; hence forth known simply as 'PUSA') belong to this later group of bands. They came out of Seattle during the 'grunge' phase, but this is no generic band. It's hard to classify such a sound, but I tend to group them with other "geek" rock bands; a sub-genre of alternative that includes groups like They Might Be Giants, Weezer, Aquabats, Primus, and possibly even Wax and Cake (but sorry, no punch... maybe some pie). Every one of which are among my favorite bands and CDs.

Presidents USA burst onto the scene in 1995 with the mega-hit "Lump" (the album was originally released in 1994 on an indie label and re-released by Columbia), and followed that with "Kitty" and then of course "Peaches" (which has one of the best videos EVER!). But after their self-titled debut, they slowly fell into obscurity. In '96, PUSA's next album, PUSA II, didn't have nearly the level of mainstream success as the original even though it was damn good, maybe even better. Well, it did spawn the minor hit "Mach 5", but nothing like "Lump" or "Peaches".

Their label, Columbia, was upset and wanted another "Lump" to sell to the masses. PUSA was upset that they were being pushed to pump out another song like "Lump." Or maybe they really did just want to spend more time with their family. Whatever the exact reason, PUSA became 'disillusioned' with the music industry and called it quits in late 1997. They released "Pure Frosting" -- a collection of B-sides, rarities, and a cover of "Cleveland Rocks" they did for the Drew Carey Show -- and disappeared. They resurfaced with their pal Sir Mix-a-lot in Subset and did projects like The Giraffes, but the Presidents were no more. Or were they? Out of the blue in 2000, they released "Freaked Out and Small" to very little fanfare. Which is a shame because that too was a damn good album (maybe even their best). But it should be noted that for this album, they shortened their name to simply, "The Presidents."

That brings us to 2004 and yet again out of the blue, the Presidents drop "Love Everybody" upon us, but this time it's complete with their full name! At least we had some warning though when "Some Postman" was leaked.

PUSA hasn't changed their stance on the music industry. In fact, they published this album themselves under 'their' PUSA Music label (which can make this album tricky to find). So all you free-loadin' pirates out there have no excuse! But this also means they haven't changed their sound much. Which is a good thing!

Here is a "quick" track listing (sorry, no lyrics... okay maybe some):

1. Love Everybody: Classic PUSA! A great, great way to open the album.
2. Some Postman: A catchy melody about a postman stealing love letters. Maybe their best song ever! But what's the deal with signing about 1993?
3. Clean Machine: Another fun pop melody courtesy of the Presidents.
4. Highway Forever: A fast paced, up-beat track, err highway. The distorted harmonica at the end is a very nice touch.
5. Zero Friction: The complete opposite of 99 Problems... in terms of problems in their life, not number of beers left on the wall.
6. Surf's Down: A nice instrumental 'surf' song to mix things up.
7. Shortwave: This is as edgy as PUSA gets: cowbells!
8. Poke and Destroy: A fast rocker (for PUSA) that asks, why do boys feel the need to poke and destroy? Because they're not girls? Because they "gotta light it on fire" to know it? Tell it PUSA!
9. Munky River: I like this slower track, but it would have been better if it were "Monkey" river. Yeah, monkeys make everything cooler.
10. Drool at You: Maybe this is as edgy as PUSA gets. "Drooling at you makes me feel like a loaded gun..." Hmm...
11. Vestina: Not a very PUSA-esque track, and he sounds a little too whiney, but I like it. It's just I know this sounds like someone, but I can't put my finger on it...
12. 5,500 Miles: Has a nice Primus-esque rhythm to it. Keeps you company on those long trips.
13. Shreds of Boa: A nice enough song, but their talk of vacuuming makes me feel guilty for not doing any cleaning.
14. Jennifer's Jacket: A decent acoustic ditty about an old jacket that has a cool ending and closes the album nicely.

If you are a fan of the Presidents of the United States of America, this album, like every album of theirs, is a must! It's another great album of "geek", alternative, modern, whatever-you-want-to-call-it rock as perfected by the Presidents. Absurd, simplistic, but damn fun! While they do have a distinct sound, they mix it up nicely. From fast to slow, pop to rock, and mixes of each; it keeps them sounding fresh from beginning to end.

"Love Everybody" might be one of my favorite albums of the year, and there has already been quite a few good ones. (Who would of thought I'd not only get, but like two pink colored CDs in one year?) "Love Everybody" falls just short of greatness due to its lack of anything 'new' sounding, but then this wouldn't be PUSA. Plus even though their name is the Presidents, you won't find any of that self-righteous political BS that so many albums in recent months have been filled with. What more could you ask for? Well, besides monkeys.

Review: 9.1415926536 out of 10 (PUSA rocks!)

Side note: If like me you had wondered what happened to D'Arcy since the Smashing Pumpkins broke up, there might be a hint in the liner notes where Dave lists her first in his thank yous. Then again they also thank Weird Al Yankovic, Krist Noveselic, and Jimmy Kimmel. So who knows why I mentioned this.