Mindless Self Indulgence Albums (5)
What The Critics Say
With their 2005 effort You'll Rebel to Anything, the synth-punk explosion known as Mindless Self Indulgence reached maturity. Maybe that's not a word you'd usually apply to these spastic pranksters but when a band goes from simple short punk songs to intricate studio constructions, it's fitting enough. You'll Rebel was just so freaking good it was reissued in an expanded edition just three years later, the same year the brand spanking new -- emphasis on "spanking" -- If arrived following the same blueprint as its predecessor and coming up short in comparison. When leader and lead singer Jimmy Urine screams "There's nothing you can do that I haven't already done to myself" on the opening "Never Wanted to Dance" he's as believable as ever, and the ridiculously busy, crunchy, and loud backing track is the kind of riveting, kick-ass fist pumper the band has come to master. The brilliant "Lights Out" wedges a stately reading of the band's unofficial motto -- "Punch your lights out/Hit the pavement/That's what I call entertainment" -- into an otherwise furious hardcore song, and when "Issues" drops "I want a lot of profanity/With a lot less virginity" it's the kind of thing cretin dreams are made of, but the problem with If isn't the highlights. Three years of watching their extremely loyal fan base grow while brokering exclusive deals with the corporate goth retailer Hot Topic has made Urine and his cohorts a little too comfortable. The fact that "Mark David Chapman" was written with the fans' guidance -- an innovative and not so great idea made possible by the Internet -- ends up a big fat metaphor for how exclusive the album feels, giving the loyal fans what they want and forgetting about any broader communication. Email the band the name of the jock who pushed you over and they'll damn him in a song, or at least that's the way it feels during the rather routine filler. MSI aren't the first band to coast a little and preach to the choir after a knock-out album -- and they certainly won't be the last -- but the best parts of If cast light on how freakishly wonderful the band can be when trying to shock us all and not just those on their mailing list. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'You'll Rebel to Anything'
Release Date 4/12/2005
Tracks 11
Label Metropolis
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Had the Mael brothers from Sparks grown up on speed and death metal, slept on pins and needles nightly, and had Rob Zombie for their music teacher, they might have released an album as tense, strident, and freakishly fun as You'll Rebel to Anything. Mindless Self Indulgence's lead singer, Jimmy Urine, is a helium-voiced campy word-twister like Russell Mael, but he's never met a cuss word he didn't like, isn't afraid to destroy a Rush song, and is not as much smart as smartass. Cool couplets like "I like my coffee black/Just like my metal" have made him the darling of fun goths, but on You'll Rebel to Anything his band -- which has always been very good -- is now fantastic, matching Urine punch for punch, whip snap for whip snap, and twist for turn. This is a furiously twitchy record with a million things going on at once, all put through a glitchy, stuttering blender. Sure, there are those straight-fingered bar chords the industrial metal set love so much, but there's also a ton of bright, ping-ponging synth notes and a near Plunderphonics style of editing things down to short bursts that would make the quickest thrash band go "wow." Plus, you'd have to listen to 20 prog rock albums to get as many time changes and you can bet they wouldn't have any lyrics as youthfully exuberant as "I'm not educated/Extra caffeinated/I just masturbated." You'll Rebel is for the rebellious teenager and the rebelliously teenaged at heart, but rarely does such irreverence, irresponsibility, and ire come dressed in a sound so thrilling. The album is solid enough to raise MSI above the black nail polish set's best-kept secret, and if all this trashy flipping the bird sounds too Insane Clown Posse, too Marilyn Manson, know that the bassist from those barometers of taste Interpol is a big fan. He probably appreciates snarling loud party music with an extra helping of outlandish, so take the stick out of your you-know-what and join him. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Alienating Our Audience: Live'
Release Date 10/8/2002
Tracks 10
Label Uppity Cracker
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy'
Release Date 10/26/1999
Tracks 30
Label Elektra/Asylum
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Mindless Self Indulgence's brilliantly named The Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy collects more of the group's outré, hip-hop-tinged industrial thrash. Singer Urine's bizarre falsetto sounds like a sped-up Jello Biafra, especially on tracks like "Boomin'" and "I Hate Jimmy Page." The album's 30 songs -- which sport titles like "Dicks Are for My Friends," "Cocaine and Toupees," "Faggot," and "Royally Fucked" -- are all pretty much slight variations on the group's fast-and-shocking style. Though The Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy doesn't quite deliver on the sleazy humor of its title, Mindless Self Indulgence does provide a quick, sensationalistic fix for fans of groups like Insane Clown Posse or A.C. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
While the cover art for Tight may invoke the mental image of an adorable newborn child, song titles like "Hail Satan" and "Dickface" provide a better idea of what to expect from Mindless Self Indulgence. Through the blending of punk, rap, and drum'n'bass, the album is an exciting, fast-paced ride from beginning to end. A cover of the Wu-Tang Clan's "Bring the Pain" stands out due to its familiarity, but little distinguishes the remaining tracks from one another as they easily blend together to form a complete, yet short album. Dramatic mid-song tempo changes give the listener the occasional opportunity to catch his or her breath, but each song quickly returns to a frantic pace. The range of Mindless Self Indulgence vocalist, Little Jimmy Urine, who jumps between screaming and Prince-like falsettos without hesitation, further enhances the listening experience. One of the album's few downfalls may be its lack of poetic lyricism, as there is a heavy reliance on obscenities to fill lyrical gaps. However, the language is a perfect fit for the raucous musical sound. If you can avoid obsessing over the lyrics on Tight, which are only satirical after all, Mindless Self Indulgence will expose you to a unique sound. ~ Adam Feitelberg, All Music Guide
