The Queers - Munki Brain (Cover Artwork)

The Queers

Munki Brain (2007)

Asian Man


Remember childhood? Remember cold ice cream on hot summer days? Remember laughing at the word 'poop'? Remember when your mom would drop you off at the park with a suitcase and jar of honey for the afternoon? Good times.

When I first heard the Queers, I was disappointed that I hadn't heard of them when I was 6 (by which time they would have already released five albums, two EPs, and their Ramones cover album). If I had heard "I Can't Stop Farting" when I was a wee-one, then, by God, I would have walked around school all day singing it at the top of my voice and making fart noises everywhere while shaking my plump posterior in the air at passers-by.

This year, the Queers have finally written their much anticipated (doesn't it seem like everything is much anticipated these days?) followup to 2002's Pleasant Screams, titled Munki Brain [sic].

Musically, this album is very intriguing, going from some tracks with the standard crossover sound of the Ramones and the Beach Boys ("I Don't Get It," "I Can't Stay Mad at You") to a piano-driven song ("I Think She's Starting to Like Me") and even some straight up punk rock ("Monkey in a Suit"). My only problem is that six tracks use the LAMEST trick to end a song -- the fade-out chorus, which I think should be outlawed.

Lyrically, this album is just about the same as any other Queers' album, including Joe Queer and every other pop-punker's favorite subject: girls. It also includes allusions and references to the Ramones, Brian Wilson (see: "Brian Wilson"), and some surfer with a funny name on the fourth track. The major exception is the politically charged track "Monkey in a Suit," which is a song about our grand president George W. Bush. This track actually shocked me for a bit, because I have sworn the Queers' said somewhere they didn't want to sing about politics.

This should be on the "To-Buy List" for any Queers fan. It is really a solid album. And I, for one, will be rocking out to this album for years to come.

Best Track: "Houston We Have a Problem"

Random notes:

  • I thought track four, titled "Duke Kahanamoku," was a cover originally by the Beach Boys, which I can't find evidence that it is or isn't.
  • I spent five minutes reading the Beach Boys' Wikipedia entry while writing this.
  • Microsoft Word does not recognize the word "Ramones."