Say Something Nice or Interesting about: Smash Mouth (or possibly Sugar Ray)

Smashmouth's lyrical oeuvre does NOT stand up to XTC by a fuckin' country mile.

Smashmouth's bass player couldn't keep up with Colin Moulding's bass playing if his very life depended on it.

Smashmouth are all tiki drinks with paper umbrellas and hawaiian shirts and Vans. Nothing more.

And YES, I'm referring to the first few albums, Anthony, not Skylarking or even Black Sea. I take it you mean White Music through Drums & Wires.

x-post

Andy Partidge == Robert Smith without the weepy gothishness
Smash Mouth Guy == Frank Black with a tan and a tequila

(I tried to build some kind of comparison between Smash Mouth Guy and Andrew Elridge, but I fear that if I had succeeded in crafting a comparison that worked, the entire universe would collapse in on itself and we'd all be killed.)

and i have no doubt that smashmouth would've loved to have written any of 100 or so xtc songs.

this is the one point I'd seriously debate (I'll concede that XTC were perhaps flashier musicians, but it's a compliment to XTC that I'd never think to laud them for Rush-like qualities) and I brought up the vocal difference before anyone else.

I think Andy Partridge would look at the lyrical puns and subject shifts within tracks like "All Star" and "Walking On The Sun" and be very impressed. The second verse of "All Star" is a hysterical example of intentional self-contradiction:

It's a cool place, and they say it gets colder
You're bundled up now, wait till you get older
But the media men beg to differ
Judging by the hole in the satellite picture
The ice we skate is gettin pretty thin
The water's gettin warm so you might as well swim
My world's on fire, how about yours?
Cuz that's the way i like it and i never get bored

A lot of Smashmouth's tracks are cynical in the same manner as XTC, ESPECIALLY "Walking On The Sun," which I consider their most XTC like track. I doubt any of you have actually paid attention to the lyrics of a Smashmouth song, so I don't know why you're claiming to know if they have any value.

Dominique, there's LOTS of secret intelligence bubbling forth underneath Smashmouth's Shrek-sellage. The lyrics of "Walking On The Sun" (which I didn't even notice back when the video was all over) are railings demanding responsibility and a lack of political apathy. Andy P would SO approve.

Style does not always equate with technical chops. Being a great musician, I think, doesn't necessarily mean you are the most technically versed player.

XTC totally WANTED to be popular. Partridge admits to being pissed and jealous when Moulding's songs started being hit singles with Drums And Wires. When they saw the work was too hard they went headlong into cult world.

Smashmouth were also witty little hoppy cynics, they just wanted to get PAID more than they wanted to be respectable. Again, OC.

plus similar organ sound

Have you ever actually listened to Go 2 by XTC?

What fucking planet do you live on?

Greg Camp is way more influenced by the Costello/Partridge school of songwriting than the ? one (both took ?'s sonic elements though)

Mentioning Costello made me realize that A)stuff like "Radio Radio" is another obv. Smashmouth touchstone B)the Attractions were also way more flashy, stylish musicians than Smashmouth C)like XTC Costello traded in that flash for over-dub hysteria as soon as possible

so what I'm wondering is do people think Costello and Partridge would have bothered with having great bands if they started today or would they go right into the Abba-Sgt. Peppers shit (Costello hangs with Q-Tip, so he may have done similar-to-Smashmouth hip-hop flavorage)?

-- manthony m1cc1o (anthonyisrigh...), September 14th, 2004.

which describes Limp Wrist and the Dance Disaster Movement perfectly.