I’m getting tired of bands like The Delicious. They’re solid players, they write strong songs and they manage to fuse a diverse variety of influences into their own unique sound; what bugs me is that all they seem to want to do is goof around. Of course, it’s no crime in rock to have fun and goof off and many would even argue that that’s the essence and genius of rock. The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Who and scores of other bands that established the form and function of rock as we know it were known to goof off and have a good time with their music. So what’s wrong with The Delicious goofing off a bit? 
The difference between the aforementioned and The Delicious is the difference between a Judd Apatow movie and other contemporary comedy movies. Like Apatow, all the aforementioned bands knew that comedy and fun and such were just as much a part of life as pain, sadness, love, hatred, etc. and they combined them in equal measure in their music (just as Judd Apatow combines all the above in his films) to end up with something that feels multidimensional and thereby represents the multidimensional personality (or personalities) behind it. On their debut album, The Delicious arrive and depart without ever having revealed any depth of personality…not even in the song about corn syrup, aptly titled, “Corn Syrupâ€.
Really though, that’s just their shtick, and The Delicious The Delicious isn’t so bad. I’m sure the band will have no problem attracting a demographic that isn’t looking for the meaning of life in their iPods. Their songs are quite strong and from start to finish, The Delicious The Delicious is an enjoyable romp through various styles and genres that shows a talented band having a killer time making an album.
It’s not hard to imagine plenty of people getting a kick out of the Weezer-like “Dearest Duchess†or the Starvin’ Hungry-esque “Every Other Nightâ€. And when there’s harmonica solos coming out of both channels on the folk-joke song “Mathâ€, it’s easy to just sit back and enjoy the band’s zeal. The Delicious The Delicious is a fun album that’s well written and put together, but like a quick snack, it’s enjoyable while it lasts, and then it’s gone and forgotten.
“Suspended In Air” (download)
The Delicious The Delicious will be available January 27th on Joyful Noise Recordings.
Tracklisting:
01. Untitled
02. It’s Not Time To Die
03. Math
04. Social Security
05. Suspended In Air (download)
06. One Leg
07. Separated At Birth
08. Every Other Night
09. Dearest Duchess
10. Future Grieving
11. Corn Syrup
12. The Opportunity
13. The Hand-Model Waltz
The Delicious: website | myspace
Written by Marc Z. Grub
