New Interview

[El]

<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICcxaUxK2uI</p&gt;
<p>Interesting bits: </p>
<ul>
<li>Aaron believes We’re Not Happy is their worst album and says it’s "painful for him to listen to" as far as the production goes. "One mistake after another." You know what’s painful for me to listen to because of the production? Any album after Monkeys.</li>
<li>"Your fans liked it." "<i>No they did not."</i></li>
<li>Ryland really likes ska music, Aaron seems to resent the general opinion of ska music and how it reflects on the band in reviews.</li>
<li>As a fan who wasn’t really aware of Reel Big Fish at the height of their greatest musical fame, it’s interesting to hear about how no one really cared about them when their songs and videos were aired on the radio and MTV.</li>
<li>The band calls out people on the internet for voicing their unfiltered thoughts. Guilty as charged, y’all.</li>
<li>Ryland shows off his ability to answer questions about Aaron.</li>
<li>Aaron adds on Facebook that his first ska show was the Nuckle Brothers in Huntington Beach. </li>
</ul>

[The Wind]

He seems a little bitter.

[El]

Aaron’s reaction to We’re Not Happy kinda reminds me of Rivers Cuomo’s reaction to Pinkerton in the early 2000s. It probably reminds him of the place he was in at the time (his use of the word “painful” is so fun to analyze) and he of course wants to rationalize the backlash against it.

[Frag Magnet]

My reaction from day one to ‘We’re not happy…’ has been that the production made it unlistenable for me.  It is a terrible sounding record which bums me out because I like most of the songs.

There’s no shame in calling a spade a spade.

[The Wind]

I don’t think that anyone disagrees that it sounds terrible. But it does have a lot of very good songs.

[El]

I honestly like a lot of the aspects of the production, especially the guitar sound and however Scott’s vocals were recorded. His voice is in top form on the album and the way he seems to be reaching for everything (presumably because the mic is so far away) makes everything fit.

I don’t think We’re Not Happy would work as well with a clean production style. Maybe the “raw” attempt could have been done better, but for all intents and purposes, it was a good attempt in my book.

[Desensitized]

Like RBF fans don’t have reason to be disappointed? Cheer Up was sabotaged by the label (the reviews were great Aaron, I read a lot of them at the time), We’re Not Happy was sabotaged by the band (shitty and non-commercial production), and they haven’t made an album since. No, the B-side collection (with those songs you stole from the local high school ska band) doesn’t really count, even you said so.

I’m still surprised there are fans left that give a shit. They don’t really have any reason to, because you haven’t made it easy for us.

We’re Not Happy was half baked. It needed longer to cook both in songwriting and in song selection, and it being pleasant to actually sit through would have been a huge plus.

[Keith]

Waaah, my favorite band doesn’t do everything exactly the way I want them to!

Get the fuck over it, you guys

[Frag Magnet]

Defensive fanboy – right on cue!

[El]

The implication that a band/album has to have “commercial” production to be good, or even successful, is hilarious to me.

[Frag Magnet]

I don’t think anybody is saying that it has to be ‘commercial’ production, but to me the album definitely sounds horrible which detracts from the experience for me.  Especially if I hold it up next to, say, Clutch’s “Jam Room” (another non-commercial/self-produced album).  Anything can be done well or poorly – I personally feel that “We’re not Happy…” was done poorly.

Now an implication I happen to find hilarious is that Reel Big Fish is my favorite band.

[Desensitized]

We’re Not Happy has good songs, but man does it sound like ass.

Good thing I have the live album.

[Author]

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