The parole board would have you believe that everyone deserves a second chance, if not a first. Crash Test Dummies' sophomore record, The Gods Did Yawn (or something like that) proved nearly as somnolent as the title. Their last album, A Worm's Eye View (wasn't it?) dropped off the radar without a trace. Their latest, Give Yourself A Hand, has possibilities.
For a band that started out playing Irish music in the Pogues vein, the Dummies evolved into this thing with very little musical joy. Brad RobertsÕs delight in wordplay seemed the band's be-all and end-all. They still fall into that trap with claptrap like "Aching To Sneeze."
Ostensibly living in Harlem, Roberts seems to have discovered a vein of soul, or at least a capillary. He manages to tap it with quasi-funk workouts like the service-economy industrial of "A Cigarette Is All You Get," the little bopper hip-hop of "I Want To Party" and the lo-jack swing of "Keep A Lid On Things."
Ironically, Roberts has opened things up to the other members of the band. Ellen Reid's vocals make for some of the best moments on the album, like the SOP pop of "Get You In The Morning" and the swinging, sly innuendo of "Just Chillin.'" However, even she can't save "A Little Something" from Xymox synth-hell.
There's no "Hmm Hmm Hmm Hmm" here, which might upset Monica Lewinsky, but is generally a good thing. The thread of sniggering sexuality runs unabated through their albums--gotta wonder when Roberts will stop wanking and start having some sex. Musically, about half the album beats sleepwalking. Cool if you're not into shufflin' your feet with God.
