Punk defiance gets put to good use when the singer refuses to be pessimistic (“Shut Up!”) and digs in his heels to prove doubters wrong (“Me Against the World”). Elsewhere he determines to rise above the jaded status quo (“Jump”), and challenges his generation to unite and make the world a better place (“One”). “Crazy” wisely questions misplaced cultural values, such as parents who prize wealth above intact families, rich people indifferent to starving children, and young girls resorting to diet pills and surgery to look like magazine covers. It repeats “If you open your eyes you’ll see that something’s wrong” as the singer searches for some form of salvation.
Rugged individualism is fine, but “Shut Up!” stubbornly refuses to consider others’ opinions (“Don’t try to tell me what’s right for me/Don’t tell me what I should do”). “Welcome to My Life” reveals a cynical streak, seeing only “big fake smiles and stupid lies” in people. A mild profanity mars “Crazy.” The CD’s title is a sexual reference.
This five-member Canadian band is terrific when railing against injustices and misplaced priorities or setting its jaw in the face of opposition. But the vitriol gets tiresome. And, as Proverbs 12:1 points out, patently rejecting good advice is foolish. The question is, Which of these thoughts will teens internalize?
