Too Much Joy

Like gawky kid brothers of They Might Be Giants, these four articulate brats from Scarsdale,
New York, may delight in their own cleverness, but never to the detriment of listeners. Son
of Sam I Am, the band's second album, aims satirical blows at various unsuspecting targets
and wraps the whole in engaging melodic rock. Son of Sam I Am contains not only a
surprisingly melodic version of L.L. Cool J's "That's a Lie" but also a song delivere... More >

Best thing about Green Eggs and Crack was the title, and even now their music is a strictly functional medium for smart-ass words. But there's melody, there's some sock, and you can hear Jay Blumenfeld's guitar ("Not lead guitar, not rhythm guitar. Just guitar."). Where formerly Tim Quirk spoke his lyrics in tune, now he mocks, expostulates, kid-drawls, projects, so that sometimes they sound smarter (and assier) than they read. And though sometimes they read fine--the scary suburban fairy tale "Connecticut," or "Kicking," which may be about cancer and is definitely about turning 23--listeners may prefer "Making Fun of Bums." Or "I didn't like being Edgar Allen Poe, I was sick a lot when I was Rimbaud." (Grade: A-)