Published on May 9, 1997
In order to keep in touch with what is happening in the music
world, I sometimes turn away from the Internet, take a deep breath,
and pick up the phone to speak with fellow members of the
entertainment media. When I heard on a Chicago radio station last
week that the Gin Blossoms had broken up, I called disc jockey
Heidi Stern of WTMX-FM to get more information.
After a quick check of a Gin Blossoms fan page, Ms. Stern and I
learned that the band was, thankfully, still together.
(Editor’s note: Turns out this was incorrect – though at the
time of this reposting in March 2002, rumor is that the band is
indeed getting back together.) But she informed me the band was
beginning to get frustrated that all their songs sound the
same.
You need to look no farther than their 1996 sophomore release
Congratulations I’m Sorry as proof of this. Robin Wilson and
crew fail to live up to the hype they created in the world of
alternative rock, and bring out a very bland album.
With their first major release
New Miserable Experience, the Tempe-based band slowly built
up a solid fan base through some solid hits like “Hey Jealousy,”
“Mrs. Rita” and “Found Out About You.” The hype around their
followup release was intense – how can they top their initial
success?
The answer: they didn’t. A stopgap single on the
Empire Records soundtrack, “Until I Hear It From You” was a
light, decent song that showed a lot of promise for
Congratulations I’m Sorry. But the first single, “Follow You
Down,” was a letdown. This sisn’t seem like the same band their
fans fell in love with. Sure, the dual guitar work of Jesse
Valenzuela and Scott Johnson are still here, as well as the solid
backbeat of bassist Bill Leon and drummer Philip Rhodes. But the
magic is gone.
And it’s not as if they aren’t trying. “Day Job” tries to
capture the magic of songs like “Allison Road” and comes close, and
“Not Only Numb” isn’t a bad effort. And “My Car” has some very
exciting moments on it.
But the remainder of
Congratulations I’m Sorry, for what it’s worth, could have
all been one long song, and I don’t think may people would have
noticed. Their sound does get old after a spell, and the disc
becomes tough to listen to – it took me no less than seven tries to
get through this disc from start to finish. (And is it me, or was
“7th Inning Stretch” more of an annoyance than a relaxing
break?)
But, you say, at least “Until I Hear It From You” saves the
album. Ah, if that were only the case – in fact, the song appears
nowhere on this album…
big mistake.
So is this a bad album? I wouldn’t go that far – Wilson still is
an excellent singer, and the band does have a lot of talent. No,
this isn’t a bad album – it’s a
boring album, a victim of the dreaded “sophomore slump” that
has affected more bands than I’d like to count.
I think Ms. Stern and I would agree with the Gin Blossoms that
all their songs
do sound the same – this could be the reason the band is
taking a little time off to regroup. With a new studio album
promised in 1998, I do believe we can look forward to a rebirth by
this band. Until then, when you pass
Congratulations I’m Sorry in the bins at the local record
store, take a close look at the album’s name. Wonder which half of
the name you’ll consider to be more accurate.