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Good Clean Fun

Between Christian Rock and a Hard Place (2006)
Equal Vision Records

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Contributed by: Meg
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on March 17th 2006

With a band like Good Clean Fun, it’s hard to pack the enthusiasm of a live show into an album. But with their first effort in years, Between Christian Rock and a Hard Place manages to almost represent just that.

Between Christian Rock and a Hard Place opens with “A Little Bit Emo, A Little Bit Hardcore,” a track detailing the relationship between a “hardcore” girl and “emo” boy, joking that, “She showed him times gone by, he showed her how to cry.” However, the real beauty in the track is the line, “He finally heard old Fugazi, he said, ‘This sounds like Bear Vs. Shark.’” Following “A Little Bit Emo...” is “Positive Hardcore,” a slightly laughable, yet catchy song about animal rights, equality, being drug free, and (no joke) being a positive hardcore band.

The album’s title track tackles Christian rock’s popularity, while “Drop the Knife” addresses questioning what you hear. Guitarist Kelly joins Issa in the track “Punk Rock Love” where they sing about a couple with the same tattoo who protest side-by-side. The album doesn’t pack on as many mocking, joke-oriented songs as the previous ones have, but there’s still enough moments to make you smile and stop being completely serious about xBrosx, xMoshx, and xCrewsx. On the subject of X’s, “Ex-Straightedge-Ex,” a song Issa says he wrote because he felt bad for the non-straight edge kids because they can’t join in any of the good sing-alongs, resides as the album’s single most fun song.

While most of the album’s standout tracks remain at the beginning of the album, the second portion of Between Christian Rock and a Hard Place is home to songs about vampires, reality television and a blunt song about corporate rock. The album wraps up with the slow-paced, acoustic parody “The Myspace Song,” a track that states, “I know that websites don’t kill but sometimes they will break hearts.”

Good Clean Fun stay true to their old school, straight-forward, heavily Gorilla Biscuits-influenced hardcore sound with Between Christian Rock and a Hard Place, while still remaining consistent to the sound they’ve made their own through nearly a decade of releases. While Good Clean Fun’s sound isn’t the most original thing in hardcore today and the main portion of the tracks exhibit extremely similar composition, they do it with passion and they’re doing it for the right reason: fun. And sometimes, that’s enough to warrant listening.

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Anonymous (March 23, 2006)

personally, i dig fast angry songs that are PISSED OFF. fuck this lame shit that lacks any energy.

Anonymous (March 21, 2006)

score for myspace song - 10

rest of cd - worthless

darkstarm (March 21, 2006)

I think the point anonymous down there was making is that Will is a dick. Which he definitely is right about.

Scruffy (March 20, 2006)

It's possible to be negative and/or realistic and still be fun.
It's possible to have hope without being naive.
It's possible to be positive without being irritating.
And, for goodness' sake, it's possible to know a lot about a style of music regardless of your age.

Anonymous (March 20, 2006)

"I'm all for negi-core.

Hardcore at its purest form isn't about dressing out for gym class and hiding lack of opinions behind a facade of "positivity" or "brotherhood." It's about being out and out pissed.

But yeah, I hope someone can show me the Void song about "unity" or whatever.

-Will"
yeah i'm totally about to let YOU tell me what hardcore means will.
i mean considering the fact that you werent even alive when any of the bands you place on a pedestal were playing.
you must be an expert!
and yeah you're right will, fuck positivity! fuck giving people hope! and most importantly, FUCK FUN!

Anonymous (March 19, 2006)

I'd always assumed this band was satirical. I've always found them to be a pitch-perfect parody of brain-dead xHCx kids spouting nonsense like "friends stand united!"

Anonymous (March 18, 2006)

actually, the phrase between a rock and a hard place is NOT from the odyssey (whirlpools arent even hard guy).

though I would predict it has debated origins, this seems a bit more likely.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/62900.html

i have free time.

wyzo

BlAquacadetZstyles (March 18, 2006)

Super fun album, but the myspace song is already cliche and corny.

davebrave4 (March 18, 2006)

Between a rock and a hard place is an allusion to Homer's The Odessy. They are sailing between a rock with a dangerous creature on it and a whirlpool, and it has evolved into a common expression.

Anonymous (March 18, 2006)

I love this band.

I actually think a nine-year-old could write the music, but not the lyrcis.

"WE ARE! A positive hardcore band!" is SUPPOSED to be cliche. Come on dude....classic gang vocals.

Scruffy (March 18, 2006)

We are! A positive hardcore band!
We are! Ridiculously gimmicky with naive lyrics a fifteen year old would write!

The music's good, though.

BizzleBrizzle (March 18, 2006)

I don't really care if a band is negative or positive, if they're good they're good.

There's been tons of great negative hardcore bands just like there's been tons of great positive hardcore bands, and Will's analysis of positive bands was pretty innacurate, they aren't "hiding" anything at all. You can hate things and still be positive.

Anonymous (March 18, 2006)

I always thought The Rites were a great negative hardcore band. Miserable Sods, great music.

Anonymous (March 18, 2006)

oh shit, i have never heard that phrase in my life.

Anonymous (March 18, 2006)

I'm all for negi-core.

Hardcore at its purest form isn't about dressing out for gym class and hiding lack of opinions behind a facade of "positivity" or "brotherhood." It's about being out and out pissed.

But yeah, I hope someone can show me the Void song about "unity" or whatever.

-Will

Pope_Skeletor (March 18, 2006)

I'm starting a negative hardcore band, and it will be just over the top negative as posi-core bands are positive.

boba_fett (March 17, 2006)

hardcore needs more positive hardcore bands. less breakdowns please.

feeeding5000 (March 17, 2006)

YES!!! I'm positively positive!

BizzleBrizzle (March 17, 2006)

Do you honestly not get the title?

Between a rock and a hard place is a common phrase, and "Between Christian Rock and a Hard Place" is a pun on that.

Anonymous (March 17, 2006)

I guess I suck at life, as I dont get the title of this album. Anyone?

capitalist_pig (March 17, 2006)

Hey guys, a joke band already did a song called "Punk Rock Love."

Way to rip off the Casualties.

hobojew (March 17, 2006)

Someone's grumpy...

I love this album.

Anonymous (March 17, 2006)

oh, and they used to put out their own records. this equal vision shit flies in the face of what they used to stand for. it's a good thing dischord didn't sign them back in the day like they wanted. what an embarrassment they'd be now.

Anonymous (March 17, 2006)

this album is awful and good clean fun have in no way kept in touch with their past as the reviewer says. saying this sounds like gorilla biscuits would be like saying a simple plan sounds like the ramones.

did anyone else read in MRR the shit that now former guitarist, Kelly, said about GCF and Issa? he was really creepy and when she refused to share a motel room alone with him, he told everyone that they slept together. also they had a pro-life bassist filling in for awhile and their drummer isn't vegan or something like that. which might not be a big deal, if Issa was open about it.

also the lyrics on this album are stupid. good clean fun used to be funny, goofy yeah, but not stupid. this shit is just dumb. if you have a verse where you just name the band members and the instruments that they play, you know you're digging at the bottom of the barrel.

danperrone (March 17, 2006)

actually, the music on here sucks for the most part

etwiels88 (March 17, 2006)

Worst joke band ever

Anonymous (March 17, 2006)

Definitely a fun release.

The chorus of "Punk Rock Love" always cracks me up, and how can you go wrong with guest vox from Mike McTernan?

hypervioletsucks (March 17, 2006)

the lyrics are funny, but I'd rather listen to blink182, musically.

Anonymous (March 17, 2006)

witty title.

Anonymous (March 17, 2006)

crucial youth > gcf

LifeoftheParty (March 17, 2006)

best hardcore band out there now. they dont take themselves too seriously which is the best part.

Anonymous (March 17, 2006)

Pretty awesome release.

Kelly isn't in the band anymore tho...

danperrone (March 17, 2006)

not feeling this one as much as older ones, but still a fun listen

"i'm here to talk to you about SEX"

Anonymous (March 17, 2006)

MDC called and want their album cover back.
-J

Anonymous (March 17, 2006)

I actually thought this CD was a lot worse than On The Streets... they try too hard to be funny, and don't include enough traditional songs.

The song "Drop The Knife" is a cover of a song by a band called Siren, an all-girl (well, with the exception of one member) hardcore band in which Mr. Issa (Good Clean Fun's singer) played bass. They only put out a 7" which to be honest isn't that great, but Drop The Knife is a great song (by far the best on the CD). I think you can still find Siren's 7" on Interpunk.

skolarx (March 17, 2006)

the hidden track might be the funniest thing i've heard all year. the album loses some steam with the vampire tracks but overall i think its still in my top 3 of things that have come out so far this year

thirtyseconds (March 17, 2006)

Cool, i'll check this one out

steveman (March 17, 2006)

This band is exactly what their name says. Good Clean Fun..and hilarious lyrics.

Anonymous (March 17, 2006)

Good to see them back.

DarrenMcLeod (March 17, 2006)

Great CD. A band that still knows how to have a good time in hardcore in this day and age.

"She was a little bit hardcore
Wore a Bane shirt and had an edge tattoo
While he sang Taking Back Sunday
She was moshing with her crew"

Anonymous (March 17, 2006)

there is not only the fun aspect, but they do write great hardcore songs: oh yeah and they are not metalheads, thats important

SalsaShark (March 17, 2006)

I read the lyrics and realized this band is the shit. A shot in the arm to stale hardcore. Fun singalongs too.

jamespastepunk (March 17, 2006)

Just plain fun. No gimmicks needed.

GlassPipeMurder (March 17, 2006)

This band is very funny.

k-dubs (March 17, 2006)

one of the bst releases this year, i am hooked.

the vampire song is the funniest thing i've ever heard.

darkstarm (March 17, 2006)

I get the feeling I'm going to love this shit. Gotta pick it up.

aubin (March 17, 2006)

I really loved this album; everyone is so serious these days and it's nice that someone remembers that all this music is supposed to be fun.

skaboom (March 16, 2006)

I saw these guys open for Loved Ones and None More Black a week or so ago. I expected them to be some terrible "mosh it up fuckers" type band, but they were really funny and played an enjoyable set. They called out the assholes who were beating up other kids in the pit, and that earns huge respect from me.

DickAround (March 16, 2006)

This CD is pretty much the best. I'm not going to lie.