Review by LarryG
3 stars out of 4
New Miserable Experience was one of the great pop records of the 90's.
The songs were always catchy rock and they were given edge by the fact
they were often about being incredibly depressed. Hey Jealousy has a
great guitar line and driving drums and an irresistable hook. Robin Wilson
isn't the most soulful singer but he has strong, fluid vocals. Song after
song is an appealing rocker. The band knows to keep things moving and
keep a listener's head bobbing. Mrs. Rita and Alison Road are just as
appealing as the bigger hits, as is the slower Until I Fall Away. The
music is the main key to the band's success but the anguished, complex
lyrics give the great but not particularly original songs edge. The sad
thing about the band's success is that Doug Hopkins, who wrote the band's
biggest hits, Hey Jealousy and Found Out About You, was kicked out of the
band after they made NME and later killed himself. Found Out About You
with its lyric, "You know it's all I think about, I write your name,
drive past your house, your boyfriend's over, I watch your lights go
out", is not a typical breakup song. Before breaking up in 1997,
Gin Blossoms released Congratulations, I'm Sorry. It didn't have obvious
hits like NME but it's a strong, catchy rock album worth buying. Still,
their peak was New Miserable Experience, which had great pop songs from
start to finish.
Here's what others reviewers have to say:
"...NEW MISERABLE EXPERIENCE sounds both fresh and highly
personal...the ease with which this quintet casts hooks suggests that
there's plenty more in store...." Rolling Stone
12/23/93, p.146
"...draw[s] inspiration from the timeless pop of the Byrds, Tommy
Keene, Tom Petty and the Replacements....[a] decidedly American sound..."
Spin 5/93, insert p.6
|
