Simple Plan - Still
Not Getting Any
By Dustin Hupe
If you watch MTV you've most likely seen
or at least heard of Simple Plan. Still Not Getting Any is the band's
second album, and even if you're not into "punk/pop" or whatever you call
it, this one is pretty good. It's full of songs about dealing with loss,
and being insecure, but a lot of people can connect with that. Not to mention
they got producer Bob Rock (Metallica, Mötley Crüe and others)
to work on this one.
Still Not Getting Any is a little
different from the 2002 album No Pads, No Helmets, Just Balls. Their
first album was more "punk/pop", while this one really has no classification.
There is more variety this time around and it's kind of refreshing (listen
to the guitar solo on Track 9 "Promise"). So check it out, you'll like
it even if you're a metal head, it can be your guilty pleasure.
CD Info
Simple
Plan - Still Not Getting Any
Label: Lava
Rating:
Official Bio
Hands up, who’s sick of debating what is
or isn’t “punk”? If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve already made
up your mind about Simple Plan. But maybe it’s time to forget what you
know, because Simple Plan couldn’t care less about people’s opinions of
them. Simple Plan have spent the last year channeling their energy, positivity
and, yes, sometimes frustration, into their music. And no matter how you
want to label their music, the 11 songs on the band’s highley anticipated
second album, Still Not Getting Any… proves that SP are not a punk band,
a pop band, a rock band or whatever label you can come up with… they are
just a great band… a band that strives to write great songs and put on
a hell of a show!
Admittedly, a lot has happened since the
Montreal, Canada band—vocalist Pierre Bouvier, drummer Chuck Comeau, bassist
David Desrosiers and guitarists Sebastien Lefebvre and Jeff Stinco—released
No Pads, No Helmets, Just Balls… in the spring of 2002. Aside from
selling a couple of million albums, the group have shared the stage with
everyone from Rancid to Aerosmith; made appearances on the Vans Warped
Tour for three years running (two as Headliners), and been nominated for
four MTV Video Music Awards—not bad for five kids who used to tour in their
parents’ station wagon.
“Songs about cars and partying do nothing
for me,” explains Comeau. “I like songs where I listen and it makes me
shiver.” That said, you may want to don a parka while listening to Still
Not Getting Any…, because it’s packed with shiver-worthy moments: “Crazy,”
chronicles the insecurities each of us go through on a daily basis (yes,
even if you’re a rock star), while “Perfect World,” struggles to make sense
out of loss. However, for a while, it looked like these songs would never
come together.
“For us songwriting is a craft we really
have to work hard at,” admits Comeau. After the band wrapped their first
U.S. headlining tour with MxPx last February, Comeau and Bouvier spent
three months in Vancouver writing every single day for the new album, throwing
away more ideas than they came away with. “At first we had trouble coming
up with stuff we loved, so we just kept writing and writing… never giving
up. After months of doing this and pushing each other, it just came together,“
Bouvier explains. ‘Perfect World’ was one of the first good songs that
we got, and from there the songs just started coming out of us like a waterfall.”
When it came time to record, the band enlisted
famed producer Bob Rock (the man behind some of Metallica’s, Mötley
Crüe’s and Bon Jovi’s biggest records). The vision behind Still
Not Getting Any… was simple… the band would not restrict themselves
to the punk genre, which ironically seems to have more rules than one can
keep track of these days.
“I think on the first record we just wanted
to write a pure pop-punk record, and on this one we didn’t care—we just
wanted to write good songs,” explains Comeau. Bouvier has a fitting analogy
for the band’s approach: “As an artist, why limit yourself to just doing
certain things?” he asks aloud. “It’s like being a painter; do you decide
to only use seven or eight colors, or blend the colors together and make
the most beautiful painting possible. From the deeply personal story behind
the album’s lead single “Welcome To My Life” to the insanely exhilarating
guitar solo on “Promise”, this illustrates the band’s approach to songwriting.
Granted, Still Not Getting Any…
isn’t going to be in the trip-hop section of any record store, but there
are some surprises, be it the subtle but powerful interludes in “Shut Up”,
the cool and yet intricate drum loop on “Perfect World”, the beautiful
string section and touching lyrics you can hear on “Untitled”, or the epic
string arrangement on “One.” “Thank You” recalls the early 90’s melodic
punk bands who influenced Comeau and Bouvier’s old hardcore band, Reset.
The record is a bit different from the
first one, but it’s still us,” Lefebvre is quick to point out. However,
although Simple Plan are open to experimenting with the formula that made
them famous, their biggest concern is not letting down their fans, because,
that’s who this album is for. “The connection between us and our fans is
the most important thing we have,” explains Desrosiers. “They’ll ultimately
be the ones who make or break our album, not some music critic who’s already
made his or her mind up about us,” Stinco adds. “Without them, I would
probably be working a nine-to-five job that I hate.”
In the end, the band speak best though
their lyrics, and during “Shut Up” when Bouvier sings, “Nothing you say
today will ever bring me down,” it’s not calculated rebellion—it’s the
truth. So, whose side are you on?
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