Cheer Up - Reel Big Fish

Reel Big Fish have never been a favourite band of mine, however nonetheless I have always had an appreciation for their music and as such when this album was released back in 2002 I soon bought it and had it in my possession. The thing I have always loved about this band is that no matter what they happen to be singing about, they always sound ridiculously happy and therefore listening to their music is always greatly rewarding, particularly when you're feeling a bit down in the dumps for whatever reason and really need to 'Cheer Up'. The band are best known for their single 'Sell Out' which was featured in the great 1998 film 'BASEketball', a film which starred South ...  Read the complete review

Reel Big Fish are one of the only Ska Punk bands that appeal to me, and I love them. "Cheer Up!" released in 2002 is probably the closest out of their discography to rock rather than pure Ska. The album gets off to a good start with the hugely catchy "Good Thing," following their usual style of incessant happiness. One thing is for certain, that after listening to this album you'll probably be in a good mood, which is never a bad thing. Even when Reel Big Fish are singing about depressing material such as breakups, life sucking and all that jazz, they refuse to stoop to anything lower than pure jubilation. Next up on the ...  Read the complete review

Reel Big Fish are ska but not always with the punk edge shown by bands like Less Than Jake and The Mad Caddies. They draw more influence from rock ?n roll and to some extent ?80s ?hair? metal. Also they don?t include a trombone in every other track to call themselves a ska band they draw inspiration from original ska music. I don?t know if it?s because of them not thinking they have to put across a punk attitude but the don?t take themselves to seriously and use witty and sometimes stupid lyrics. The band consists of Aaron Barrett who is the lead singer, great guitarist and also all round showman. Carlos de la Garza who plays drums, Scott Klopfenstein who plays trombone, ...  Read the complete review

Well its been a while since I wrote my last opinion here and I have to say I’ve missed it but I've been unable to do anything about it. Well enough about me and my troubles I don't get paid for writing about myself unfortunately. Reel Big Fish: Well I started listening to them a few years back in the days of their other albums "Turn The Radio Off" and "Why Do They Rock So Hard" and I thought they were great. There are plenty of ska/punk bands out there but there is something about Reel Big Fish that makes the stand out from the crowd. The first thing that hits you with this album is that it is slightly ...  Read the complete review

Reel Big Fish stunned me live at V2003, and before I went to buy their latest album I found I already had it... sitting under a pile of rubbish. After putting it in my stereo I can safely conclude it was defiantly in the wrong place. Cheer Up has the uncanny ability to, well, cheer you up. The catchy rifts and clever lyrics used to poke fun and make those bad situations appear a lot less down heartening. Let?s take the sixth song on the album for example, "suckers" is an aggressive response to a failed relationship and how the rest of the world are mere suckers for believing there is such a thing called love. "This one?s for all the suckers who ...  Read the complete review