Angry Samoans: The '90s Suck And So Do You

When a band, retired for years and long in the tooth, comes back from the dead to try to recapture its lost glory, the results are often pretty sad. It's sadder still when the would-be comeback/cash-in is the product of a vintage punk band whose members would have scoffed at the notion in their prime. Sadder still is the Angry Samoans' new The '90s Suck And So Do You. On the surface, the album seems like any vintage Samoans recording, with eight songs in 13 minutes, snotty song titles ("I'd Rather Do The Dog"), and vocalist "Metal Mike" Saunders at the helm. A closer look, though, reveals that Saunders is the only remaining Angry Samoan, and that's rarely a good sign. Rather than try to capture his past glory, Saunders seems to be trying to recapture the Ramones' past glory. Of these tracks, only "Suzy's A Loser" warrants notice; the rest could have come from any of punk's countless Ramones knock-offs. The old Angry Samoans may have been obnoxiously offensive, but the recordings were also catchy, inspired, and hilarious. The '90s Suck is a boring rehash of a tired formula. You'll want to forget it was recorded the moment it ends.