Be Your Own Pet - Get Awkward

Be Your Own Pet
Get Awkward
(03.2008, Ecstatic Peace)
Verdict = Bratty High School Angst

I feel really awkward (and not because the album title tells me to) about liking this record. It is pretty embarrassing to listen to and not just because everyone else in the Forest Gospel troupe seems to despise it. I’m listening to this thing on headphones right now and my cheeks are getting just as rosy embarrassed as they would if I played it in front of, well, anybody. I mean read some of these lyrics: “eating pizza is really great / so is destroying everything you hate” and “you signed my yearbook and that was pretty rad / but now I’m getting sick of you and it’s just too bad” and “lunch time is just not fair / hot dog mustard in your hair“. I mean could the lyrics be anymore inane? There is really no shortage of cringingly juvenile lyrical moments but for some reason it feels like that is just the way it should be. It’s almost as if the band wanted to make sure that everyone knew that they were immature high schoolers and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was all just a big joke. To be honest I don’t even know if they are still in high school or not. Self conscious ridiculousness or not, Get Awkward is just the righty bratty, fast paced, sucky indie punk rock to blast while cruising main on a Saturday night and in true high school form. Be Your Own Pet has created a record that requires you to play it repeatedly until it is absolutely the last thing you want to hear but somehow you still have to. So in conclusion, this is really an admission to my being really immature and wanting to break stuff occasionally and just act like a general loser (something Sassigrass can attest to). It is just unfortunate that I’m in the age bracket where I have to be careful about engaging in “criminal mischief”. I guess I’ll just settle with toilet papering my parents. Hooray for Get Awkward bringing out the worst in me in all of its childish cussy glory!

-Mr. Thistle