Pay Attention (Explicit Version)
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones'Pay Attentionis crippled by its 16-track length. Although the album clocks in at an average length of 51 minutes, clumps of filler tracks make the listening experience seem even longer. This is a shame because a few of the tracks show that the 'Tones are more than distilled-ska manufacturers. "The Skeleton Song" swoops down with driving horns and a well-placed xylophone, punching its introspective lyrics straight into that part of the brain that nets catchy songs; an anthemic bridge only furthers infernal internal "make it stop!" repetition. Also, "Riot on Broad Street" shows the Boston-based eight-piece adding some south-of-the-border spice to the mix. Alas, anonymous songs that sound like they were cribbed from the band's earlier releases dominate the affair, as do head-scratchingly banal lyrics such as "If you stay down too long, you can sometimes lose your grip." Indeed.--Jason Josephes