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The Queers

Pleasant Screams
2002
Lookout!

The Queers - Pleasant Screams (Cover Artwork)


Review by: mitch
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Lookout Records (Logo)

Published on September 17th 2002

What the hell happened here? Does anyone else remember back from 8th to 10th grade when the Queers were still a good band? Then they left Lookout for Hopeless, a move not particularly shady in and of itself, considering Lookout at the time was pretty much treating all their staple bands like crap, while Hopeless was shaping up to be quite the cool label. In fact, the only time I ever had a problem with the Queers switching labels wasn't even due to the fact that they had found a new home, but rather due to the fact that THEIR ALBUMS ON HOPELESS SUCKED. Maybe it was because Joe ditched Hugh and B-Face in an effort to become what I like to call the John Couger Concentration Queers. Maybe it was the stress of not drinking anymore. Maybe he was just hard up for cash and figured he could slime his way by with songs that sounded like some pre-teen knockoffs from the suburbs of California trying their hardest to write songs that sounded like the Queers. Whatever the reasoning behind Joe's seemingly open and conscious decision to stop writing good songs, I was pretty sure we wouldn't be hearing from the group ever again.

Much to my surprise, another album managed to sneak into the Hopeless catalog. "Beyond the Velley of the Assfuckers", it was called. Holy lord. Someone ought to inform Mr. King Queer over there that simply playing faster and swearing more does not make your horrible songwriting sound any better, even if you are a punk band. "Beyond the Valley" sounded, to me, like some sort of midlife crisis Joe wanted to share with the world. This time, I was just HOPING they wouldn't put anything else out.

So here it is. I open my mailbox, and there it is, staring me in the face. The new Queers album, back on Lookout Records and terrible as ever. Let me recite some lyrics from this gem of an album just to show you an example of the type of stuff you can expect from Joe and Co this time around:

Danny Vapid, he ain't no faggot
Danny Vapid, he ain't no faggot
Danny Vapid, he ain't no faggot
And he's okay to me

Do I really need to say anything more to convince you not to buy this CD? This is awful. This is just... augh. If you are one of those people who has never heard the Queers, but wants to, go buy "Love Songs for the Retarded" or "Beat Off" or something. Don't buy this. In fact, if you see this in the store, don't even pick it up to look at it. I don't care if you have no intention of buying it, do not touch it. This album is the devil. It will burn your skin. We must round them all up and burn them. Then, as suggested by another before me, we need to invent a machine to burn things that have already been burned, and we'll burn the CDs and the machine together.

Have I made myself clear, or should we go over that one more time just to be safe?



People who liked this also liked:
Operation Ivy - Operation IvyNOFX - Punk In DrublicBad Religion - SufferDescendents - Milo Goes To CollegeThe Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta!Bouncing Souls - How I Spent My Summer VacationRancid - Let's GoNOFX - The DeclineBouncing Souls - Maniacal LaughterDillinger Four - Situationist Comedy



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    Posted by awesome on 2003-12-12 12:03:51
    My Score:

    what the fuck are u thinking their great and your homo fuckhead.

    Posted by fakesmile on 2002-11-03 04:36:01
    My Score:

    This is an amazing album!
    This is the worst review I've ever witnessed (exluding my own).

    Yes the songwriting is pretty simplistic and straigt forward, but that's called punkrock asshole...

    Yes it's a pretty poppy record, but it's probably the best pop-punk record released in the new millenium, it's a perfect balance between the Ramones and the Beach Boys and that means this is the hardest rocking pop-punk record since Don't Back Down!...

    The reviewer is definitly a Fuckface...

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, September 22, 2002 at 6:14 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Joey's dead, Dee Dee is dead, Kurt is dead, Hugh is dead.

    Let's talk about people who are alive for once.

    Posted by mitch on 2002-09-20 02:41:54
    My Score:

    Joe kicked Hugh out of the band long before he died of a tumor. Shit, that happened after Punk Rock Confidentail had been out for a while. Fool.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, September 20, 2002 at 12:15 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    yes, this is mitch from nothingnice.com

    how can i help you?

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 19, 2002 at 8:18 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    someone really needs to screen these reviews ... i mean, fuck, try making at least one goddamn claim about the album instead of just saying it sucks ... and in case you didn't notice, joe uses "faggot" to make fun of homophobes, not to support them.

    this is their best album since don't back down, a significant pop achievement and proof that you can be pissed off about stuff but secure enough in yourself to still be happy.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 19, 2002 at 1:04 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    dude, brain tumors are fucking punk as hell

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 19, 2002 at 12:22 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    joe didn't ditch Hugh. He died from a brain tumor after Don't Back Down. Asshole.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 19, 2002 at 11:15 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    is this mitch from nothingnice.com???????????

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 19, 2002 at 10:53 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Settle down young man....So much anger.

    -sickboi

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 19, 2002 at 12:38 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    lol yup this album is sooo indie rock.....

    jackass

    Posted by fletcher on 2002-09-18 23:48:40
    My Score:

    I bet you like indie rock

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 at 10:06 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Mitch you fuckin retard...

    'Pleasant Screams' f'n rules. The Queers at their best. "See You Later Fuck Face" and "It's Cold Outside" stand above the rest. Their previous EP 'Today' was awesome too.

    I haven't heard a bad album from The Queers. I loved 'Beyond The Valley Of The Ass Fuckers'. My favorite tunes from that album are "Uncouth" and "Stupid Fucking Vegan" (you can't be wrong with a line that goes "You like the Greadful Dead 'cause you think they're really hot, you fuckin' vegan"). Joe sounds REALLY, REALLY pissed off on the whole album. 'Punk Rock Confidential' was good too.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 at 8:07 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    It's always nice to read a review that does everything but review the album.

    Nobody will listen to a review if the writer writes "it was good."

    So why are we going to listen to a review where the write writes, "it sucks."

    Come on, if you want to review the album, let's hear some reviews, not rants, and not complaints.

    And you should also never review an album when you already have a biased view of the record label.

    Posted by bostonmusicguy on 2002-09-18 12:22:25
    My Score:

    My god... I wish this review had been written before the other Pleasant Screams Review that gave it a pretty good rating... if it had been I wouldnt have purchased the cd and been submitted to the likes of "See you later fuckface" and "Danny Vapid". This cd is simply horrible and I wish the worst to the new Queers.-BostonMusicGuy

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 at 10:47 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    download See You Later Fuckface. That is all.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 at 3:56 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    I've had this album for quite a long time now. Being a very very old queers fan I wasn't quick to love this album. I put it in my stack and listened to some other stuff for a month or two. Then I decided to bust it out again and I have to say right now, that this is one of the best albums Joe has made in a long long time.
    He's tied together the progression of records in the last 10 years and has done so nearly flawlessly. It has the perfect balance of catchy riffs and searing vocals we've come to expect. Everyone should own this album.
    By the way, Joe isn't 15 anymore, he's an old fart and thus the style has changed, and that's alright with me.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 at 2:45 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Not that bad dude, I don't like pop punk but for a pop punk record this was really good. Better than anything New Found Glory or any of those other lame pop bands have ever done.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 at 2:42 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    your a fucking retard, did you even listen to this cd, it was great. Your one of the fuckers that thinks when anything new comes out it sucks.

    Posted by CallingLondon on 2002-09-18 01:51:56
    My Score:

    I like the song See You Later Fuckface. I'm pretty sure that's off the new album, right?

    Posted by Bryne on 2002-09-17 22:05:53
    My Score:

    Yeah, Hopeless mailorder does rock. They gave me a bunch of free crap as well. I love free crap.

    Posted by waste_elite on 2002-09-17 21:50:16
    My Score:

    on a semi-related note, Hopeless is fucking cool. i just got some stuff in the mail that i ordered from them and i got a million free posters and stickers and what not. classy guys i say.

    Posted by JOE_MOMMA on 2002-09-17 21:36:53
    My Score:

    if ska is gay, this isnt ska so shut your hole PIE.