Joe Robot Records, 4 December 2020
The not-Green Day band The Network are back with a new “Told Ya So” prophecy.
The Network, who are most certainly (not) Green Day, dropped some bonkers (probably not the last time I use that word writing this) prophecies back in 2003 with the fun synth-drenched pop punk of Money Money 2020, coming across a little like DEVO on all sorts of caffeine and uppers. A bunch of years have passed and suddenly it’s the end of 2020, and it’s been a pretty off year, even by recent standards. And just to stick our nose in it, The Network is back to brag about how smart they are and how much we all sucked at listening to them the first go-round. And while we’re left to feel crummy at our own insolence, Money Money 2020 Part II: We Told Ya So at least gets after us with some fun catchy music.
Money Money 2020 Part II: We Told Ya So blasts with a bunch of catchy music slathered in bonkers melodic synths. Some of my favorites are fast peppy synth pop punk songs. Opener “Theory Of Reality” sounds like a pepped up “Mongoloid” with cool lead synth and singalong vocal hooks on the chorus. “Flat Earth” and “Time Capsule” (both sung by Van Gough) are great bouncy synth-driven songs with a particularly rubbery bass and “if you think the earth is round then you’re probably a moron” conspiracy-mocking lyrics (“Flat Earth”), and cool stuttered guitar (“Time Capsule”). But my favorites probably come from a trio of Fink-sung songs: “Threat Level Midnight” is bonkers fun and the ridiculous hooks and lots of speed are pure pop goodness. The exhilarating “Carolina’s Ultimate Netflix Tweet”, which (besides being an awesome song title) has a chorus I found myself singing along to part way through the first listen and sort of reminds me of something by The Death Set maybe (maybe due to the sheer joyous energy of the music). But my favorite is probably “Ivankkka Is A Nazi”. This one starts out like some 80’s robot song throwaway experiment before revving up and going next level into a pop punk song with some of the most addictive hooks and melodies of the year. Calling out “children in cages” and having a “Gucci swastika”, the song is aggressive and political and fun all at once.
A bunch of it has the caffeine of good pop punk, but they don’t only stick there. Songs like “Trans Am” and “Cancer Is The New Black” have a super nice 80’s feel, with synths that twinkle with a blinding sheen (“Trans Am”) and some out-front and melodic bass anchoring some bouncing and banging drums (“Cancer”). “Respirator” sort of falls in this camp, too, while Van Gough sings about an anti-masker realizing a mistake too late. “Asphyxia” is a weirdo number that sounds like something from “Yo Gabba Gabba”, except, you know, the lyrics are more than a little twisted for that. “Hey Elon” goes full on ballad with a percussion-less synth while singing about Elon Musk’s spaceship running out of battery power after leaving the radio on for too long. They even do a sort of synth-country thing on a couple of songs. “Jerry Falwell’s Pool Party” works in a good groove and has a scuzzy ambling romp going while closer “Art Of The Deal With The Devil” has a swampy brooding country-stomp feel with a few sounds that come across like a they’ve been ripped from a dystopian spaghetti western, with each going after icons of conservative America (a common lyrical theme throughout, if you haven’t picked up on that). And these musical detours and genre-hoppers all end up being fun.
So yea, I know: The Network isn’t Green Day. But, if they happened to be, I’d say something like it sounds like Green Day is having fun again, throwing off the shackles of “hit music-making” and instead finding the fun “we don’t care what you think” attitude that marked so much of their great 90’s music. And, knowing they aren’t Green Day and taking We Told Ya So as is, I say get your hands on this record. It’s a good time.
Favorite song: “Ivankkka Is A Nazi”
Favorite moment: the bonkers energy of “Carolina’s Ultimate Netflix Tweet”
Favorite whatever else: the song title “Art Of The Deal With The Devil” is sort of clever, but “Jerry Falwell’s Pool Party” is probably my favorite
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
