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Acoustic rock for the dead

After stints in such diverse bands as Brainiac, the Ugle Americans, Joe Brockhead and the Spanks, Bob Schneider has resigned himself to artful acoustic rock on his latest release about the stress-free realm of the afterlife, Now I’m Good. His songs range from chill-out anthems to alt-country boppers, and none fail to titillate to the extreme.

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Thursday, September 23, 2004 12:00 a.m.

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Bob Schneider’s music is good. No, no, like riding a dolphin bareback good. Well, maybe not that good, but at least as good as pudding, which is super-good. The name of his new album is, unsurprisingly, I’m Good Now. Yes you are, Bob.

As he states on his website, however, the record is not about turning it around and getting on the straight and narrow. It’s about being dead. Schneider explains, “I wasn’t doing so good, but now that I’m dead, everything’s gravy.” The other thing we find surfing through his website is that the guy is nuttier than Jiffy. Fortunately, his music is not. This is some fine acoustic rock with balls, which was much needed from the genre that gave us Five For Fighting.

Born in Michigan and raised in Germany, Bob Schneider moved to Austin, Texas, in the late ’80s to pursue music as a career. Here, he fronted bands such as Braniac, Joe Rockhead, The Ugly Americans and the Spanks. The music these bands put out ranged from funky Dispatch-like rock to spastic punk songs with lyrics like, well, they were dirty, OK? So this guy has some real musical range. He is also the proud owner of a dirty, dirty mind. This, however, doesn’t show up on this new disc, which is good. It’d be hard to enjoy the sweet sounds of Bob Schneider as he sang about “doing it.” His current musical incarnation is, by far, his best and easiest to swallow. Not that the other ones were not enjoyable, but I’m Good Now is a fantastic dip into the acoustic rock genre. The songs on this record vary in mood and style, but all function perfectly within the acoustic rock spectrum. Some are upbeat, like “Capn Kirk” and the funky, foot-stomper “Getting Better.” Other tracks are more melancholic than Billy Corgan in the mid-90s. “Long Way to Get” and “Come With Me Tonight” are sad and sweet. Then you have the songs that put the “rock” in “acoustic rock,” like the grooving “C’mon Baby” and the title track, which works as alternative country at its best. The overall mood of this record seems to be upbeat and hopeful. Despite all the guff about being an album about the escape from life, it seems to be more about hope and having someone there for you than about death as the ultimate problem-solver. The closing song, “Getting Better,” especially seems to point toward better times.

It’s been a long road for Schneider, and if the past is any implication, this current sound might not last long. So that means that everyone looking for the perfect acoustic rock album should check out Bob Schneider and I’m Good Now before it’s too late. Honestly, there’s something for everyone. This stuff is goodalicious and makes you want to dance like crazy in your room — but only to the upbeat songs, unless you want to start getting strange looks from your roommates.

I’m Good Now might be about dying, but the future looks bright for Bob Schneider. With a new band and new songs, Schneider seems poised to take over the musical world, or at least 104 Tarrant. Rock on, soul brother.

Rating A/B


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