nosmiles agrees:
Reel Big Fish albums always have been a source of pleasure. They are fun to listen to. It is mindless music, comparable to mindless movies such as "The Fast and the Furious." You hate to love it. The bottom line is: You can shake your butt and sing-along. The music won't cause you to painfully search for emotions. Everything about this album is completely on the surface, as exemplified by "Ban the Tube Top."

Cheer Up! lessens the humor a bit which helps each song stand out. There are still sarcastic rants such as "there's a party that we're not invited to / but I don't care because i hate everyone in school." Unfortunately, the lyrics consist of direct story-telling, instead of abstract thoughts, but this is what one would assume from a quirky band like Reel Big Fish. However, their word-choices are indeed clever.

The song content of this album seems more mature and pertinent than their previous release Why Do They Rock So Hard? The songs are more personal albeit not revealing. Thankfully there aren't any immature swearing on tracks, nor any swearing at all. This is wonderful for me since I am at the age where swearing is a turn-off, whereas when I liked the previous RBF records I was intriguied by the swearing songs. Good choice RBF.

Unlike their others, Cheer Up! is not a party album. One can actually sit down and listen to it without cringing every now and then. Because there is actual relevance to the songs, listening to them does not seem like a waste of time. Of course the band stays fun. "Where Have You Been?" is a painful romp into being dumped then asking for a re-do. The perfect mantra for the heart-broken everywhere. I can imagine the 16 year old leslie singing, "No way, you wish, I don't need this, what makes you think i'd ever want you again, yeah right, as if, I don't need this."

Reel Big Fish's sound on this album is similar to their sound in the past, but better. New and improved if you will. There is more texture with background vocals and background noises in general. There is also a better mix between the poppy-rock and the poppy-ska. "Where Have You Been?" is a fun rock tune, where as "Suckers" is catchy rock-ska. The horns add much to the band's sound and keeps Reel Big Fish from becoming Blink 182 (err Sum 41).

Even though the topics are of 17 year olds and the band members are not 17 years old, it's still better than the cast of Dawson's Creek. Albeit still immature, "Suckers" has wonderful layers of ska, rock, background voice effects, and wonderfully executed lyrics. Reel Big Fish's humor does not come off as pretentious, which tends to happen when bands don't take themselves seriously.

I must mention the one song on this album which makes me cringe. It is the cover of "New York, New York." Yes, it is cutsey and fitting for the band, but it's really pointless and simply not good. (Subjectively, of course). Everything else about this album is great, pleasurable and funny.

Best Aspect: Matured and complex
Worst Aspect: Still just a silly boy ska band
Yay: A Little Doubt Goes A Long Way, Rock 'n' Roll is Bitchin, Ban The Tube Top
Nay: New York, New York
The hits:Where Have You Been?, Good Thing
Similar: Buck-0-Nine, Five Iron Frenzy
Style: Ska, Humor, Ska-punk