October 22, 2004
STILL NOT GETTING ANY
By DARRYL STERDAN

STILL NOT GETTING ANY
Simple Plan
(Lava/Warner)

Oh, they'll be getting some soon. Airplay, that is. Chart positions. And sales.

Clearly, Montreal pop-punk quintet Simple Plan are being groomed for bigger things.

This sophomore set was produced by none other than superstar producer Bob Rock, who polishes these 11 tracks to his usual seamless, shiny gloss. Every power chord rings crunchily. Every chorus sticks in your head like a eyebrow piercing.

Every harmony sounds like a choir. Every drum beat reverberates like an empty stadium. And every one of these well-honed cuts bypasses the pit and makes a headlong dash for the top of the pop charts.

On the downside, even Bob can't help these guys write songs that don't sound like they were plagiarized from the final exam for a course in Corporate Punk 101.

From the standard onslaught of adolescent angst to the cliche closing ballad complete with strings, this 38-minute set definitely follows its own simple plan -- even if they aren't getting any more original.

Track Listing
1. Shut Up!
2. Welcome To My Life
3. Perfect World
4. Thank You
5. Me Against The World
6. Crazy
7. Jump
8. Everytime
9. Promise
10. One
11. Untitled