All These Censored Feelings is the latest album by Too Much Joy that was meant to be called All These Fucking Feelings, but that would mean one of the well-known streaming services wouldn't play the album, so instead they called the other album, that comes with the deluxe version, that comes from these sessions All Those Fucking Outtakes like no one will spot that. So these American pop punk meisters are back.
The album opens with We Yell At 8 that's a slowly building punk pop song about the sorrow that they have to go to work, at a job they don't really like, while describing the monotony over acoustic guitars strummed with a sense of ennui, almost as lethargic as they would rather be, anything but going back to that damn job.
What Pricks We Were is energetic bouncy pop punk about well being a dickhead, no matter what their intentions might have been, this flies along as all the shame is revealed as they tug on another joint in there broken down trans am.
Our History In Hugs is an almost love song as you go from gentle hello hugs, to hanging on for dear life hugs, the trajectory of a relationship through the different ways you hug each other. This is smart, as all the scenarios unfold including thoughts on the hugs you had when Kurt Cobain killed himself.
Fortune Telling Is Easy delves deep into relationship psychosis, to why you might want a fortune teller in the first place, the sway along hands in the air nature of the music make it easy to miss everything they are going on about within the harmony vocals, as it feels like they have all bonded over those predictions.
Minister Of Loneliness filters a psychedelic rock song filtered through a 90's stoned haze to call out someone who due to their actions and behavior have become the Minister For Loneliness, as the vocals eventually go all Rage Against The Machine and back to the hazy 60's Plea to end loneliness.
Censored Feelings is quiet reflective, asking how he's ended up with so many Fucking Feelings brought on by life, what happens in relationships or friendships, can he have an encore yet, hoping she won't be so unkind to compare him to Brad Paisley again, becoming ever more overwrought wind machine blasting, power ballad college rock.
Normal Never Was is an anthem for anyone whose ever been wrongly accused of being normal, no it's not achievable, well of course not, another every day nagging battle of guitars, arguing that you wanna play in band, as well as ride a desk, get a mortgage, have a holiday time share in Maui, or whatever this weeks dream is, not gonna happen, he's got another Too Much Joy record to make.
The Call Of The Void is the opening line I Want To Kill Myself as its all become too much and your contemplating killing yourself, admitting everyone goes there at some point, when to all goes to hell as an askew indie chugger comes to the rescue once more.
I Met A Ghost well haven't we all, a ghost of your former life, he went, he saw, he lost the plot, now he's his own shell corporation, trying to sing old Lone Justice songs wearing a lumberjack shirt to the office job, trying to change his mind again.
Mercy Mild have them down on the floor in need of help, not sure if they can be fixed, slow rumbling guitars, pained vocal, intense drum solo, hoping she'll give you some Mercy Mild while being defiled as the scenario darkens.
Old Friends Make Me Sad is a maudlin late night ballad dedicated to all the jerks he still hangs out with, all the crappy war stories, do you remember Lenny who ended up the biggest crack head in town or Sonic being thrown at the doors of A & E after they gave him the hot shot, the tales come long and fast, not the ones I just mentioned, but so many conversations with my old friends are about the friends who are already dead or out the game, you may need red wine or whiskey to drown your sorrows in during this song.
Walken Dancing must surely have a video with Christopher going all Deer Hunter on this Celtic marching tune as they all follow the drummer boy.
Slightly Beautiful is a song of betrayal being sung by the bloke who wants to persuade her, to betray his friend with him kind of scenario, not sure if he needs a knee in the nuts or a big hug, as the guitars gently edge him to the door, while she decides what to do, other than go and put the demos album on as this albums finished and was Slightly Beautiful.
All These Fucking Outtakes opens with It's Good For The Banks it is in praise of the sort of Tucker Carlson worshipping donut, that believes that doing What's good for The Banks will be good for you too, umm no you'll be immiserated like the rest of us not in the billionaire class. The chorus sounds like it should be on a John Oliver story about Silicon Valley and all the others currently in trouble.
Better Than Being Alone is about being settled in with a partner just getting along, rather than moving on, heartlands rock with buzzing guitars chomping away at the daylight between you, as you are so resigned to the stasis.
Curse Of The Bobblehead is about a kid called Mark and what he did to get that curse, this is a sports song for the kid running a baseball fan club.
Just Jen is rather lustful, drooling making a fool of yourself to impress Jennifer, not sure she wants him to be a connoisseur or not, but she'll have to put up with it, sadly not as catchy as Jennifer's Body.
Nothing Like You has the bare bones anthemic indie rock feel to an impassioned lust song, he was hoping he was yours for life, he'll just keep pining.
My Future Ex Wife has a 70's Alessi Brothers style feel to this pre-divorce, about to separate balladeering, not even sure they've even met the Ex-Wife yet, as improbably strings arrive melodramatically.
She took It As A Sign is for the girl that wrote Depeche Mode lyrics on her wall, did she want them as her own Personal Jesus or did she want to Enjoy The Silence alone, well everything's gone to ruin as she's seen it all.
Killer The Bichon Frisee is a organ led power ballad of love and hate for the rescue dog his woman got, the dog sounds every bit as nutty as the one I know, slightly deranged as it plays, barks and goes off while following her around and around, time to get the dog psychologist in.
Idiots In Paradise slow laid-back college rock full of throw away lyrics of how big a bunch of idiots they really are. As they name check a load of people who helped finance the bands records or something like that.
Dick Punching Foe Of The Patriarchy is a song in praise of a woman who is out to get the Murdoch's and the patriarchy and is in need of our support, the sort of woman who has a Picasso inspired tattoo.
As Quiet As God takes on the god like idiots who think they can rule the world, but really your better off keeping well out of it, as this grizzled song makes quite clear where they stand on things, without making a fuss about it, as the guitars have paisley flourishes.
The Song I Didn't Write was originally meant to be a song for a fan who had helped crowd fund the last record, this is full of lines that were culled in other songs, while writing them, the stuff that gets edited out, lucky it isn't and the and what and and and then, this is a good cut and paste song.
The album ends with The Otters Return a synth pop song detailing being dragged to see the Otters at the zoo once more, he's angry and bitter that his life has come to this, it's dark as he really wants to go postal in that zoo.
If the two albums are not enough too Much Joy for you then there is also a DVD available of the live show from the Mercury Lounge in New York in October last year at http://www.toomuchjoy.com/?p=3191
Find out more about the albums here https://links.propellersoundrecordings.com/toomuchjoy-deluxe https://propellersoundrecordings.com/products/too-much-joys-all-these-fucking-outtakes-on-limited-edition-cd https://toomuchjoy.bandcamp.com/album/all-these-fucking-feelings-2 https://www.facebook.com/TooMuchJoyHQ http://www.toomuchjoy.com/
