SEMISONIC
All About Chemistry
Universal
· The follow-up to 1998’s Feeling Strangely Fine is the third release for the Minneapolis trio.
Songs such as "Down in Flames" and "F.N.T." on their debut album, The Great Divide, and every song on their second album, Feeling Strangely Fine, are proof that Semisonic have chemistry. That makes their latest release, All About Chemistry, really frustrating. Having shown themselves to be adept at composing memorable tunes with meaningful lyrics, here they show no chemistry at all.
The album starts promisingly, but quickly derails with "Bed," a song about finding someone else to have sex with if the girl you are seeing just wants to be friends. Lyrically, this is where they start to lose it. Where is the subtle charm of "Secret Smile?" Where is the wit and humour of "Never You Mind?" Oh, right, it’s on the last album.
The rest of the songs tend to blend into one another, with the exception of "Who’s Stopping You" – probably the best of the lot – and "Act Naturally," which looks back to Feeling Strangely Fine for reminders of how to write poetic songs.
Simply put, the album lacks pizzazz. Gone are the raunchy guitars and lyrical panache that we have come to expect from Semisonic, replaced by lifeless ballads and forgettable pop songs. Although I hadn’t expected – or wanted – another "Closing Time," I did expect more.
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