Gob - Foot In Mouth Disease

Foot in Mouth Disease is a contagious and fun rock album at best and derivative and forgettable at worst. However, low points are few and Gob emerges on the top of the heap

In a market saturated with redundant and unoriginal pop-punk, it seems as though the last thing American airwaves need are more spiky-haired Canadian imports. Unlike many of their peers, Gob actually shows some promise and skill in most of their three-chord anthems. Their fourth full-length Foot in Mouth Disease is overflowing with sugar punk goodness, but still remains edgy enough that you won't have to hide it under your bed along with your Good Charlotte and Simple Plan records when your friends come over.

The first track, entitled "Lemon-Aid," is a perfect introduction to Gob's style and to those familiar with the band's music, evidence of how the band has changed over the years. Unlike their previous work, Foot in Mouth Disease is polished and ready for mainstream, with production, recording, and mixing by Mark Trombino and major label backing from Arista and Antonio "L.A" Reed. As a result, every song is radio and TRL ready, but at times the music itself suffers as a result of repetition and empty lyrics. An example of this is the third track, "Oh! Ellin," a boring, cliché song about a girl in which the chorus is recited at least six times too many.

However, Gob's style is polished rather than changed drastically and the band shines on tracks like "I’ve Been up These Steps," the bouncy "I Cut Myself Too,” and quasi-hardcore "Bully," which revisits Gob’s beginnings and allows guitarist Theo to take over the mic once again. "Ming Tran," from 2002's F.U. EP, is a hilarious homage to their martial arts expert “friend" who will "kick you right in the face" if you rub them the wrong way. The second recycled track, "I Hear You Calling" from 2001's The World According To Gob, is not on the same level as most of the new material and is easily forgotten alongside tracks like "This Evil World" and first single "Give Up the Grudge." Although the single is familiar in subject matter to a certain huge pop punk radio hit, the standout guitar riffs and solo save the track from becoming a monotonous and laughable effort.

At times the overeager guys of Gob, like so many bands in this genre, seem so caught up in planning their big breakout hit and rock-star future that they lose the sincerity that earned them their underground followings. Foot in Mouth Disease is a contagious and fun rock album at best and derivative and forgettable at worst. However, low points are few and Gob emerges on the top of the heap of bands struggling to ride the pop-punk wave to fame.

(Arista Records)