Screeching Weasel: First World Manifesto (2011)

It's been 11 years since Screeching Weasel put out a new studio album. That's a long time for any band and if anyone doubted that Ben Wesel didn't have a great album left in them, I wouldn't have blamed them. They would also have been terribly wrong. First World Manifesto is not only one of the most enjoyable pop-punk albums I've heard in years, it's the bands best since 1993's Anthem For a New Tomorrow

Everything about First World Manifesto is fantastic. The production (by All-American Reject, Mike Kennerty) is clean and hard hitting with touches of background organ supplementing the bands Ramones inspired punk. Even without longtime guitarist Jughead, the new reincarnation of the band features a load of sharp and tight playing. Ben's voice is in fine form as well. He's not an overly gifted singer but is able to pull off both snotty and sweet as good as anyone in punk. Whether he's railing against the scene ("Follow Your Leaders" and "Little Big Man"), America ("Come and See the Violence Inherent in the System"), or singing about the realities adult life ("Beginingless Vacation" "Fortune Cookie") and relationships ("Dry is the Desert," "Bite Marks") he sounds inspired and rejuvenated. There's a fine mix of styles present as well, ranging from the hard hitting "Totem Pole" to the pure pop of "Fortune Cookie." Guitarist and backup vocalist Dan Vapid has always been my favorite part of any Screeching Weasel release so it's great to hear his backup vocals take prominence in "Three Lonely Days," "Friday Night Nation" and "Baby Talk." My only minor complaint is that he doesn't seem to be as heavily involved in all the tracks but it's not overly noticeable while the album is playing. Ben also enlists a couple of his old-school (is that the right term for early 90's punk bands?) friends to help out on a couple tracks. "Frankengirl" sounds like something the Mr. T Experience would come up with, so having Dr. Frank sing a verse seems natural and if you're gonna have some "bom bom bom" backing vocals, there's nobody better to sing them than Joe Queer.

I could go on and on about how much I love First World Manifesto but it would be best for people to rush out and buy a copy. There aren't too many bands playing this style of direct, straight-forward, pop-punk these days and nobody does it better. Screeching Weasel is back and they're as good as ever. I can't imagine this not placing very high on my end of the year best of list.

Rating: 4.5

Track Listing:

1. "Follow Your Leaders" (2:07)
2. "Frankengirl" (1:50)
3. "Beginingless Vacation" (2:20)
4. "Dry is the Desert" (2:45)
5. "Totem Pole" (2:04)
6. "Creepy Crawl" (2:03)
7. "Three Lonely Days" (2:44)
8. "Friday Night Nation" (2:07)
9. "All Over Town" (2:31)
10. "Fortune Cookie" (2:14)
11. "Baby Talk" (2:18)
12. "Come and See the Violence Inherent in the System" (2:03)
13. "Bite Marks" (1:30)
14. "Little Big Man" (2:41)