...finally
1996 studio album by Too Much Joy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
...finally is an album by the American band Too Much Joy, released in 1996.[2][3] Its first single was "The Kids Don't Understand".[4]
| ...finally | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1996 | |||
| Studio | Water Music, Hoboken, New Jersey | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Label | Discovery/Warner Bros.[1] | |||
| Producer | William Wittman | |||
| Too Much Joy chronology | ||||
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Production
The album was produced by William Wittman, who had joined Too Much Joy after producing the band's previous album, Mutiny.[5] The band used a sample of Alan Arkin remarking "uh, oh, too much joy," from the movie Simon; although both the album and the film were produced for Warner Bros., the corporation charged the band to use the sample.[6][7]
The cover of the album, by artist Doug Allen, depicts a cartoon rendering of a man and woman moments after engaging in sex.[8] A second cover was used to obscure the image for retail.[9]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [10] |
| Boston Herald | [11] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [12] |
| San Antonio Express-News | [13] |
Trouser Press thought that "the overpowering, sometimes nearly generic music obscures the progress, but ...finally benefits from an organic focus not found on the others."[14] The Virginian-Pilot called the album "angst-driven rock 'n' roll, but with a catch... The music is loud, but not angry."[15] The Columbus Dispatch considered that, "like most sophomoric acts, Joy flounders when it aims for seriousness ... but the group's Ramones-ish pop/punk carries the day."[16] The San Antonio Express-News stated that, "instead of the quirky rock that has served it well, Too Much Joy gives us an entire album's worth of imitation pop-punk in general and Green Day in particular."[13]
The Houston Press determined that "the immediate tone is grumpy and sarcastic, but less typical is the hopelessness often evident underneath."[17] The Delaware County Daily Times concluded that the "subject matter veers from preachy, to political and pointless... But through it all, the music's rambunctious, deliriously catchy style wins out."[18] The Boston Herald warned: "Too Much Joy is threatening to become the Replacements of the '90s: a group so dedicated to planned adolescence that it just might seal its own doom."[11]
AllMusic wrote that "the group are rejuvenated here, replacing the production gloss of their last couple of albums with the sort of punk-inflected buzzsaw guitar pop that had enlivened 1989's Son of Sam I Am, only with a better sense of melody."[10] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide opined that frontman Tim Quirk "downplays humor for rebellious introspection—like James Taylor fronting a punk band or something."[19]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You Will" | |
| 2. | "Weak" | |
| 3. | "Poison Your Mind" | |
| 4. | "Mrs. Now" | |
| 5. | "The Kids Don't Understand" | |
| 6. | "Different Galaxies" | |
| 7. | "I Believe in Something" | |
| 8. | "How to Be Happy" | |
| 9. | "Half Life" | |
| 10. | "I'm Your Wallet" | |
| 11. | "Skyline" | |
| 12. | "A New England" | |
| 13. | "Underneath a Jersey Sky" |