Simple Plan
Still Not Getting Any

Uh-oh! We have been told that this review also appears (wholly or partially) on warnermusic.it

Raise your hand if you are tired of debating what is or isn't "punk".

If you're reading this, there's a good chance you've already taken your position on Simple Plan. But maybe it's time to forget what you already know, because Simple Plan couldn't care less about what people think of them. Simple Plan has spent the past year channeling their energy, positivity, and yes, at times their frustrations, into their music.

And regardless of how you want to label it, the 11 songs on the band's eagerly awaited second album demonstrate that Simple Plan is not a punk band, a pop band, a rock band, or whatever you want to call them; they are simply a great band, a group that strives to write great songs and put on an amazing show! To be honest, a lot has happened since this group from Montreal, Canada - singer Pierre Bouvier, drummer Chuck Comeau, bassist David Desrosiers, and guitarists Sebastien Lefebvre and Jeff Stinco - released "No Pads, No Helmets, Just Balls" in the spring of 2002.
Aside from selling a couple of million records, the band has shared the stage with everyone from Rancid to Aerosmith; participated in the 'Vans Warped Tour' for three consecutive years (two of which as headliners), and received four MTV Video Music Awards nominations: not bad for five kids who used to go on tour in their parents' station wagons.

"Songs about cars and parties don't say anything to me," Comeau explains. "I like songs that give me chills". And indeed, you might find it useful to wear a parka when you listen to "Still Not Getting Any", because it is chock-full of spine-tingling moments: "Crazy" speaks about the challenges we all face every day (yes, even if you're a rock star), while "Perfect World" struggles to make sense of a loss. Yet, for a while, it seemed that these songs would never come to be. "For us, composing is an art we really have to work hard on," Comeau admits.

After the band completed their headlining American tour with MxPx last February, Comeau and Bouvier spent every day of the following three months locked up in Vancouver writing songs for the new album, discarding more ideas than came to mind. "At first, we couldn't put together anything we liked, so we kept writing and writing without ever giving up. After months of pushing each other, the right pieces finally came together," Bouvier explains. 'Perfect World' was one of the first good songs we wrote, and from that point, others began to flow like a waterfall." When it came time to record them, the band secured the collaboration of Bob Rock, the renowned producer responsible for some of the most famous records by Metallica, Motley Crue, and Bon Jovi. The idea behind "Still Not Getting Any" was simple, the band would not be limited to punk, which ironically these days seems to have more rules than one can remember. "I think with the first record we just wanted to create a pure pop-punk album, but for this one, we didn't care - we just wanted to write great songs," Comeau explains. Bouvier has a perfect analogy for the band's approach: "As an artist, why limit yourself to doing just a few things?" he asks out loud. "If you were a painter, would you want to use only seven or eight colors or mix them together to create the most beautiful painting possible?" And from the personal story told in "Welcome To My Life" to the hilarious crazy solo in "Promise", their palette best illustrates the band's attitude towards songwriting.

It goes without saying, "Still Not Getting Any" certainly won’t end up in the trip-hop section of any record store but it still contains surprises, whether it be the delicate yet powerful interludes in "Shut Up", the minimalist yet intricate drum loop in "Perfect World", the beautiful string section and touching lyrics of "Untitled", or the epic string arrangement in "One." "Thank You" reminisces the melodic punk bands of the early '90s that influenced Reset, Comeau and Bouvier's old hardcore band.
"The record is a bit different from the first one, but it's still us," Lefebvre emphasizes. Still, although Simple Plan is open to experimenting with the formula that made them famous, their biggest concern is not to disappoint their fans, because this album is for them. "The relationship with our fans is the most important thing we have," Desrosiers explains. "Ultimately, they will be the ones who will make this album a success or a failure, not some music critic who has already decided who and what we are," adds Stinco. "Without them, I'd probably be doing some office job that I hate."

In the end, the band's concepts are best expressed through their lyrics and in "Shut Up" when Bouvier sings, "Nothing you say today will stop me" it’s not calculated rebellion, it’s the truth. So, whose side are you on?

These are the band members:
Pierre Bouvier (vocals);
Chuck Comeau (drums);
David Desrosiers (bass and backing vocals);
Sebastien Lefebvre (guitar and backing vocals);
Jeff Stinco (lead guitar).