Frenzal Rhomb - Shut Your Mouth (Cover Artwork)
Staff Review

Frenzal Rhomb

Shut Your Mouth (2001)

Fat Wreck Chords


My first recollection of Frenzal Rhomb is their contribution to "Survival of the Fattest" compilation. "Run" was the song, and what a song it was. At age 14, those melodic punk gems stick with you for what seems like forever. Times, they have changed, but Frenzal Rhomb, they have not. Almost any one of these 16 tracks could have been put in place of "Run" way back then, and they all would have done the same thing: they would have made me sing the chorus at the top of my lungs, play air drums as fast as I can along with the beat, and they would have made me want to buy their album. The problem is, I'm 19 now, and my musical tastes have matured somewhat. I still enjoy the Fat Wreck punk every once in a while, as most older "punks" do. The problem is, we age and the music doesn't. The melodic punk genre has made no significant steps forward musically in 5 years. Why should one expect anything more in the next 5? Frenzal Rhomb seems to be content cranking out the same old music for different 14-year olds every year. I wish them the best of luck, because deep down, I still like these guys. I just have to act like I don't anymore. And to end with a random thought: The opening drum beat on "Had Enough" sounds exactly like the opening drum beat for "I'm A Loner, Dottie, A Rebel," by The Get Up Kids. Interesting.
[taken from A different kind of greatness webzine]