Burgess Shale

Burgess Shale really wants to be liked. So much so, they are willing to lie to you. They might want to compare themselves to Talking Heads, Radiohead and R.E.M., but that simply isn’t true. They might state that their songs are thought-provoking and possess weaving melodies, but they don’t. They do have a unique sound of their own, but that really isn’t a good thing. With song titles like "Butt Crack Blues” and "My Lost Ostrich,” you might think that this is a comedy record, but no such luck. The lyrics are just pleading to be taken seriously and there is an attempt to make a statement about the state of the world, but the music plods along with cluttered production and the vocals are dull so there’s no real incentive to listen. It’s Never Enough, Is It? is an album that feels longer than it actually is and that never is a good sign. Just because a CD will hold more than 70 minutes of music, it doesn’t mean it should be filled with mediocre songs. With a bit of quality control, there might have been a decent album here, but 74 minutes is a long time to spend with a band who are simply trying to show how smart and socially aware they are.