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Sum 41

Motivation

Label: Mercury Release Date: 11/03/2002

_kp_ by Kate Price February 18th, 2002

Up until now, I quite liked what I’d heard of Sum 41. Their hit singles to date, 'Fat Lip' and 'In Too Deep_' were both good, light-hearted little pop songs and as far as I’m concerned, deserved all the success they got. The Canadian quartets third release, however… I simply can’t stand.

Two and a half minutes of listening to the ironically named ‘Motivation’ is enough to turn even the most mentally sound person into a quivering wreck, frothing at the mouth and begging for mercy. A similar experience to being dragged down a staircase by your feet, hitting your head on each marble, pointy step on the way – or so I should imagine.

The banging guitar line and pounding drums persist in thumping your ear drums until you really do feel like you’ve just spent the last hour in a boxing ring with Frank Bruno. The whole sound is just very clumpy, clumsy and overall ugly. It is fair to say that I’m partial to my “pretty music”, but this song deserves a prize winning place on mingers.com!

Feebly attempting that same buoyant sound we’re beginning to expect from Sum 41, this time they just don’t make the grade. Motivation? To do what?! Throw the TV set out the window the next time it’s played? C’mon boys, we know you can do better than this!

They say all the best things come in three’s, but if this Sum 41 at their finest, then they certainly should just give it all up and save themselves the bother…

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