Likely their darkest album,
Same Place the Fly Got Smashed
is another solid effort that takes the form of a tragic rock opera about a doomed, midwestern alcoholic. While the joylessness of this concept wears a bit thin over the course of the 13 tracks, the songwriting is compelling enough to make it fly. Punk rave-ups (
"The Hard Way"
and
"Local Mix-Up/Murder Charge"
) and accoustic strummers (
"When She Turns 50"
"How Loft I Am?"
) are equally capable in the evocation of the emotions of guilt, hopelessness, and forgotten innocence that pervade the album. ~ Brian Christopher Egan