Presidents Of The USA - 'These Are Good Times People' (Cooking Vinyl) Released 10/03/08

Once upon a time there was a Seattle based band that burst into the public consciousness during the 90’s. But their lead singer didn’t die, in fact the greatest tragedy to ever befall Presidents Of United States Of America to date is that they‘ve had a musical hiatus or two and failed to follow up the critical success of ‘Peaches‘.  From the opener ‘Mixed Up S.O.B’ to the end track ‘Deleter’ this is a resounding return to form with a few surprises along the way.  These Are The Good Times People’ is their first album in 3 years and fifth overall album release. It also marks Andrew McKeag’s first official appearance on guitbass as a fully paid up member of the band.
 
‘Ladybug’ and ‘Poor Turtle’ encompass everything you expect from principal songwriter Chris Ballew. High energy bass driven anthropomorphic tales that meet the standard set by the twice Grammy nominated self titled debut. The short bluegrass tinged ‘Truckstop Butterfly’ is a perfect illustration of PUSA at their most charming.
 
The Presidents have an unnerving ability to inject an energy and feeling into a song in equal measure. Ballew and McKeag’s harmonies complement each other and keep the vocals from being too nasal. The customised bass guitars lie at the heart of the sound and keep things ticking along nicely. ‘Flame Is Love’ takes this bass to new levels as the swing genre is given an effective frenetic twist between the smooth humour, drums and a cracking horn section.
 
The track listing of this album works to keep the listener engaged. On first listen it may feel a little schizophrenic but it’s just PUSA flexing their musical muscles. ‘Loose Balloon’ written shortly after the end of Ballew’s marriage, is a delicate piano based Shins type effort that manages to be both uplifting and desperately sad at the same time. And this self depreciation will delight old fans and win a few more along the way. ‘Sharpen Up Those Fangs’ hides self doubt behind fuzzy guitars just as ‘Bad Times’ hides loss behind humour. True to form when you’re expecting a ‘spoon’ Ballew throws in a ‘spork’.
 
Just as you think you’ve heard it all, along comes ‘Deleter’ just over 3 minutes of unbridled funk. Ballew drops his vocals to a far more guttural level as he shares duties with nu-jazz singer Fysah Thomas. The word ‘gone’ has rarely been used to such effect. Inspired by a beat used by Finn during warm up this is one searing way to close the album. Simply rollicking good fun. If this is a sign of where Presidents Of The United States are heading then there are indeed good times ahead. ‘These Are The Good Times People’ is a must for anyone with a yen for cerebral punk pop and irony. That’s irony in the real sense of the word and not the Alanis Morissette song.