Growing up, Ben Weasel was the total embodiment of punk rock to me. Sure, NOFX was the band that hooked me in, but Screeching Weasel made me fall in love with the genre. Plus the dude's been wearing leather jackets and chucks since the late eighties and probably hasn't held a job with a salary or benefit plan for one day in his life. How many of us can say the same? If that's not enough, look at all the press photos of Ben Weasel. He has two, maybe three different facial expressions. And while I was too young to experience Screeching Weasel in their heyday, it seems that Mr. Weasel is still every bit of the asshole today as he made himself out to be in all of his earlier Maximum Rock n' Roll columns. But even assholes have sentimental feelings, and Ben Weasel's ability to put his to the tune of simple Ramones style punk songs is one that has rarely been matched in some years. The fact is this: No matter how curmudgeonly and jaded Ben Weasel becomes, chances are he'll still be able to write a better song using just three chords and a melody. After hearing the song "Totally" almost eight years ago I still recite its lyrics to every girl I ever have a crush on. While there seems to be paradox between Weasel's written and recorded works it only helps prove that Ben Weasel is one of the most punk motherfuckers to walk this earth since Joey Ramone.
His new album, These Ones are Bitter is his first recorded work since his debut solo effort Fidatevi. For the new album he enlisted the help of Dan from Alkaline Trio and two members of the All American Rejects, a band he openly loves but seems to be the exact thing killing the notion of punk he helped create. Hypocritical? Perhaps, but it's that totally contradicting attitude that makes Ben Weasel more punk rock than any of us can ever hope to be. While the songs on Fidatevi had that signature Screeching Weasel sound, they were unlike anything the band actually released. The songs were experimental while still having that familiar Lookout Records pop-punk sound. These Ones are Bitter, however, sounds like an amalgamation of the more polished Screeching Weasel albums from their days on Fat Wreck Chords along with Riverdales songs, when Ben Weasel didn't simply want a band that sounded like the Ramones, he wanted to be the Ramones. A bulk of the songs here have a striking similarity to those on Bark Like a Dog, not only in the song writing but in the actual tone and production of the music of the songs themselves. All the instruments sound very full and thick, the result of super slick production, very different from the raw sound heard on earlier Screeching Weasel material. Yes, I know this pop-punk and originality comes few and far between but still the resemblance to Bark Like a Dog is uncanny at times. "Give it Time" sounds almost exactly like "Handcuffed to You". If the comparison couldn't be any closer look at some of the songs: Bark Like a Dog had a song titled "First Day of Summer," this new album has one titled "First Day of Spring." Speaking of weather, the meteorological motif doesn't end there. Several songs on These Ones are Bitter focus on things like clouds, sunshine and warm weather. Perhaps a lifetime of living in the windy city has left him cranky. Better yet, maybe he suffers from seasonal depression.
In addition to a love of the seasons, the lyrical content is as one could expect being a fan of Screeching Weasel or pop-punk in general: songs about girls being courted, dated, or recently broken up with. Many probably see this as filler but Weasel somehow always manages to bring a sense of no frills wisdom with his lyrics. He explains how most are feeling by convoluting the ideas with metaphors and figurative language. Also, for those closer to thirty-five than twenty-five, he assures that it's still okay to feel like you did in high school. Listen closely and you'll see these ones aren't that bitter at all.
So yes, this does sound like everything else Ben Weasel has ever done but there are just enough subtleties in the songwriting to keep it fresh. And let's face it; Ben Weasel has been Chicago's poster boy of pop-punk far longer than Pete Wentz ever will be. And with summer just beginning I can't think of better album to listen when getting in the spirit of the season.
