Up next on the chopping block is another band from the 90’s (with arguably one of the stupidest names in rock). Now this is a band that I couldn’t remember the songs until I heard them and that band is The Goo Goo Dolls so with that let’s take a look……
Goo Goo Dolls- this album has kind of a raw punk almost noise rock feel to it. It’s certainly not what I was expecting right out the gate but it’s not bad. It’s just I don’t know different. Think of bands like NoFX or even Lag Wagon and this is kind of what you’d get. Anyway not a bad way to start I’ll give it 8/10
Standouts: Living In A Hut, Beat Me, I’m Addicted
Jed- kind of more of the same but the production on this is slightly better. I mean there really isn’t that much of a difference between this and the last album. I’ll give it another 8/10
Standouts: Sex Maggot, Up Yours, Love Dolls
Hold Me Up- ok so here you can kind of hear them sort of evolving into what they would become for the 90’s. The vocals seem a bit more focused and it doesn’t have much of a punk sound to it. I will say that they kind of sound a little like Bad Religion here music wise. I’ll give it a 8/10
Standouts: Laughing, On Your Side, Know My Name
Superstar Carwash- so here they really have abandoned the punk sound and gone in more of a pop punk and alternative rock sound. I did read that there is some metal mixed in but I don’t hear it. I’ll give it another 8/10
Standouts: Don’t Worry, Stop The World, Domino
A Boy Named Goo- ok so this album is where I recognize their songs. These songs were all over the radio and oh man it was awesome then and awesome now being able to remember a simpler time. Needless to say that this is a 90’s classic and just a fun album. I’m giving this classic a 10/10
Standouts: Long Way Down, So Long, Disconnected
Dizzy Up The Girl- again there are songs that I heard back in the day and just either never paid attention as to who sang them or didn’t think much of it back then. Now when I heard those songs it’s like “oh yeah that’s who sang that song.” Again there are so many recognizable songs that it was fun to step back in the Time Machine for a moment. Anyway, while I prefer the last album more, one cannot deny that this is another 90’s classic and I have no choice but to give this 9/10
Standouts: Amigone, Full Forever, January Friend
Gutterflower- this one does a pretty good job of combining post punk and anthemic type songs. It’s a pretty good follow up to Dizzy and not gonna lie, I enjoyed this one more than I would’ve thought. The songs maybe aren’t as memorable as earlier albums but in a sea of generic sounding early 2000’s rock, this one definitely stands out. I’ll give this one 8.5/10
Standouts: What A Scene, What Do You Need, Tucked Away
Let Love In- this one I gotta say is pretty good but I feel they kinda tried to play it safe. It’s a good album but it’s nothing new. In fact I find this one to be a little too soft for my tastes. I’ll give it a 6/10
Standouts: Let Love In, Can’t Let It Go
Something For The Rest Of Us- I feel like if you are a fan of this band, then you’ll like this one. For the casual listener, it doesn’t really offer anything new here. There are better albums than this one and overall, it’s kind of boring I’ll give this one 5/10
Standouts: Say You’re Free
Magnetic- ok so this one is very slow. It’s not slow in the way of ballads but just overall it’s what I would call “easy listening.” I got bored with this one and it’s not as if the songs are bad because they aren’t but like I said, boring. I’ll give this one 4/10
Standouts:
Boxes- I swear this sounds like it could be a gospel album. Seriously that’s what it sounds like. A lot of the songs sound like they could be played in church. To be fair I didn’t read the lyrics however, like the last record, I found it to be too slow. I’ll give it 3/10
Standouts:
Miracle Pill- I’m noticing that this band has taken the slow route and while that’s fine for a few albums, it gets old. This is another wash, rinse, and repeat kind of album. I’m giving this one 3/10
Standouts:
Chaos In Bloom- I feel like they are trying to not make albums that are so soft or slow. There are glimpses that remind me of some of their 90’s albums but I guess we will see what the next album brings. This is definitely a slight improvement and I’ll give it 6/10
Standouts: Going Crazy
Ok so this band really was one of those great bands from the 90’s and it was great hearing these old songs again. If you skip the last 5 albums then you’ll enjoy yourself but again those albums aren’t bad but just boring. They’re too soft and are very derivative.
Final Grade: B
Album Rankings
- A Boy Named Goo
- Dizzy Up The Girl
- Gutterflower
- Hold Me Up
- Superstar Carwash
- Jed
- Goo Goo Dolls
- Let Love In
- Chaos In Bloom
- Something For The Rest Of Us
- Magnetic
- Miracle Pill
- Boxes
Sinister Reviews 