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Title: Weak and Contrived
Review: I have really tried to like this album, but unlike Rubberneck, it seems forced, insincere, and even exploitive. The songs are semi-passable for the now ubiquitous alternative radio fodder, but they are punctuated by long stretches of overdone bombast married to sensationalized drivel. (check out jigsaw girl and the title track for good examples) In the end I was left feeling that the Toadies were trying to create a driven and haunting album of Possum Kingdom knock-offs, and much like Neruda's fisherman manage only to catch themselves.
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