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For those of you anxiously awaiting anything new from the Weezer camp, The Special Goodness should satiate you for a good while. Weezer drummer Pat Wilson dons a six-string and moves in front of the mic for a surprisingly smooth transition to frontman. The drum throne has been filled by Atom Willard, formerly of Rocket From The Crypt and now of The Offspring. On the bass? No clue. But that's part of what makes The Special Goodness so special, I suppose.

A good majority of these songs follow the same formula of guitar intro, verse chorus verse chorus, guitar solo, chorus out. It's been done a million times before, and it can get old, but most of these songs carry the outline well. The music is basically just really crunchy, groove-oriented alt rock. There's generally just one riff per song, and Wilson makes the most of it.

Highlights include opening track "You Know I'd Like..." with an infectious melody and a guitar solo that calls up memories of Guns N Roses' "November Rain" in it's first few notes. First single "Life Goes By" is a monster riff tamed for less than three minutes. The album's best song by far, however, is "N.F.A.," with it's repeated chorus of "She loves me / And I'm not fucking around with her." It may sound immature when you read it, but Wilson sings it with enough sincerity that you totally believe him. That mushiness pops back up in "Inside Your Heart," a virtual carbon copy of "N.F.A.," but it's still quite good.

The disc wears thin in places, though, more towards the end than any place else simply because when every song fits the same form, it gets a tad old. I get the feeling that if the last songs were first, and vice versa, that my favorite songs would change.

This CD is a great pick-me-up from the winter doldrums of January, and is poppy and upbeat enough to be your new favorite driving CD. Who knew Pat Wilson could sing - or shred - this well? I certainly didn't, and I'm glad I know now.

MP3s
Life Goes By
N.F.A.



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    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, January 25, 2004 at 3:05 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    I'm gonna continue to listen to Mo City Soundtrack.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, January 24, 2004 at 10:50 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    you should ask some bands out there, they will tell you what the difference is, between epitaph an majors! ..very subjective shit... u tell....

    Posted by PetroBPettson on 2004-01-24 15:32:17
    My Score:

    hmm... how can someone say something against Epitaph?, they did so much for independent music quite a few years ago, and now put out boring crap and are basically a major label. Brett is a great guy at financial matters anyway... to fu

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, January 24, 2004 at 2:18 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    hmm... how can someone say something against Epitaph, they did so much for independent music! Brett is a great guy anyway... so fu

    Posted by GreenVandal on 2004-01-22 13:56:26
    My Score:

    Jump the shark? haha, thats a good one! im gonna remember that!

    Posted by PetroBPettson on 2004-01-22 01:42:02
    My Score:

    You saw that on E! didn't you?.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, January 22, 2004 at 1:39 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    jump the shark:

    a term to describe a moment when somethin that was once great has reached a point where it will now decline in quality and popularity.

    Origin of this phrase comes from a Happy Days episode where the Fonz jumped a shark on waterskis. Thus was labeled the lowest point of the show.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, January 22, 2004 at 1:36 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Epitaph has jumped the shark...

    Posted by GreenVandal on 2004-01-21 18:04:25
    My Score:

    Incredibly bad.

    The entire weezer fmaily needs to have a mass execution right now.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 at 5:52 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    it's funny because most of you prolly have never heard the album, but you judge it anyway you people are the same ones that hated the mars volta cd arn't you. you bastards maybe you should put down your dk and rancid records and check out what else is under the sun.

    Posted by soulbleed on 2004-01-21 14:09:36
    My Score:

    i'm a big fan of this type of music, but for some reason this album only did it for me a little bit. the songs aren't really that great, and i do agree that if this wasn't weezer's drummer, no one would give two flying shits about this record. and really, they shouldn't to begin with.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 at 6:18 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    This is horrible, it does not suprise me though that scott continues his likings of shite bands-oldpunker-

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 at 4:04 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    www.geocities.com/blacktiebombers

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 at 3:24 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    epitaph has some cool bands this is shit though

    Posted by CallingLondon on 2004-01-21 00:58:43
    My Score:

    sorry, this is the score i meant

    Posted by CallingLondon on 2004-01-21 00:58:23
    My Score:

    wow, this is crap. it's impressive how bad this is, infact. it sounds like throw away foo fighters songs, but probably worse.

    Posted by PetroBPettson on 2004-01-20 23:23:33
    My Score:

    Actually, Epitaph probably isn't. The tend to drop anything that doesn't make 'em filthy rich(er) on it's ass, despite quality.

    Posted by hitlerbadzakgood on 2004-01-20 22:25:16
    My Score:

    i'll take a shot in the dark and say thier bassist is this jeb lewis character.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 at 9:57 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    I thought Epitaph was no longer distributing Fat Possum?

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 at 9:56 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Save your money and go buy the new Shins CD! Special Goodness are a bit wack...

    Posted by PetroBPettson on 2004-01-20 21:15:12
    My Score:

    Epitaph gives support to Fat Possum Records in Oxford, Mississippi. Home of, RL Burnside, Bob Log III, Hasil Adkins, The Neckbones, The Black Keys, and literally shitloads of other AWSOME Blues/roots, and blues/roots-inspired music. At this point, one of the very few good thigs Epitaph does.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 at 7:28 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    kinda reminds me of broadways broken van

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 at 7:25 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    black keys

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 at 7:18 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    to the person below...who're these blues bands epitaph supports or whatever?

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 at 6:02 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    "Is that cover supposed to be a take on Down By Law's All Scratched Up? It looks similar."

    So true!
    -Janelle

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 at 4:24 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    scott, you've liked some pretty shitty albums lately...

    Posted by FortyMinutesWest on 2004-01-20 16:17:42
    My Score:

    Hmm, lets break the name down:

    The-maybe
    Special-nope
    Goodness-most certainly not

    Posted by PetroBPettson on 2004-01-20 14:36:43
    My Score:

    "Wednesday, January 14, 2004

    Ted Nugent injured in accident
    DETROIT (AP) -- Ted Nugent needed stitches after a chain saw cut through his leg on the Texas set of his reality show on Sunday.

    The star of the VH1 series Surviving Nugent: The Ted Commandments, required 40 stitches to close the gash, Michelle Clark, a spokeswoman for the cable music channel, said Tuesday."

    Ha ha ha.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 at 2:29 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    go buy the Lost Patrol lp. it rules.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 at 2:13 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Is that cover supposed to be a take on Down By Law's All Scratched Up? It looks similar.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 at 1:48 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    this score is for epitaph. do they put out some crap? yes.

    but did they also release atmosphere's new album, and they support half a dozen great blues bands, and the bouncing souls fucking rule.

    Posted by Travis on 2004-01-20 13:35:48
    My Score:

    i dunno, i was listening to this yesterday and i couldnt get into it... maybe ill try it again.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 at 1:17 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    the score is for the label. fuck epitaph.