Crash Test Dummies: Give Yourself A Hand

With "Superman's Song" and the ubiquitous hit "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm," the Canadian band Crash Test Dummies found ample success with novelty songs in the mid-'90s. But both of those tracks were moodier than most left-field singles, running a bit deeper than you'd expect thanks to a somber streak that made each vaguely haunting. "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" may have been overplayed, but it was darkly compelling until it wore out its welcome sometime before the 9,000th exposure. Following a bad, commercially disastrous third album (A Worm's Life) is Give Yourself A Hand, a rickety assortment of forced funk, canned mirth, and embarrassingly cutesy, scatological lyrics. If singer Brad Roberts' deep-throat baritone bothered you when he was singing thoughtful dirges, just imagine how unbearable you'll find it as he raps—raps!—such unbearable lyrics as, "I'm walkin' funny and it's not by chance / I got some shit stuck in my pants." Mere words can't possibly describe the torturous ordeal of listening to "I Want To Par-tay!," "Just Shoot Me, Baby," and "I Love Your Goo," each of which is even smirkier and more repugnant than its title would indicate. Those forced to endure Give Yourself A Hand in its entirety get a reprieve every few songs, when Roberts is momentarily replaced by occasional vocalist Ellen Reid; consequently, "Just Chillin'," "Get You In The Morning," and "A Little Something" are merely nondescript rather than execrable. As if you need to be told, that's not a recommendation. Horrible, horrible, horrible.