These Are the Good Times People

These Are the Good Times People is the fifth album by The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released on March 11, 2008.^[1] This is their first album to feature Andrew McKeag instead of Dave Dederer on guitbass.

Track listing

All songs by Chris Ballew unless otherwise noted.

1. "Mixed Up S.O.B." – 3:05
2. "Ladybug" – 2:34
3. "Sharpen Up Those Fangs" – 3:05
4. "More Bad Times" (Dan Leone, Dom Leone, Ballew, McKeag) – 2:59
   • A loose cover of an Ed's Redeeming Qualities song.
5. "French Girl" – 3:04
6. "Truckstop Butterfly" – 2:04
7. "Ghosts are Everywhere" (Ballew, McKeag, Finn) – 4:08
8. "Loose Balloon" – 2:45
9. "Flame is Love" – 2:39
10. "So Lo So Hi" – 2:18
11. "Poor Turtle" – 2:48
12. "Rot in the Sun" – 2:25
13. "Warhead" (Ballew, Dale Peyser) – 1:54
14. "Deleter" (Ballew, McKeag, Finn) – 3:17

Bonus Tracks

• "Rooftops in Spain" – 2:41 (UK iTunes / Japan CD)
• "Scrappy Puppy" – 2:54 (all iTunes)
• "Truckstop on the Moon" - 4:14 (Walmart mp3 store)
• "What the Hell" - 3:30 (Amazon / Napster)

Personnel

• Chris Ballew – vocals, basitar
• Andrew McKeag – guitbass
• Jason Finn – drums
• Fysah Thomas – vocals on "Deleter"
• Mark Hoyt – backing vocals on "Poor Turtle"
• The Love Lights Horn Section - on "Sharpen Up Those Fangs", "Ghosts are Everywhere" and "Deleter"
  • Jerimiah Austin – trumpet
  • Sarah Jerns – trumpet
  • Diana Dizard – baritone sax
• Martin Feveyear – mixing

Response

Critical response to These Are the Good Times People was mixed. MusicOMH.com remarked, "There's nothing complicated on this album, but then when did things ever need to be complicated?"^[2] Allmusic said that in view of the lineup changes, the album is "perhaps their most eclectic album to date."^[3] Billboard found that while nothing on the album is not as immediately memorable as "Lump" or "Peaches," several tracks "come across as less novelty-like as a result of songcraft."^[4] The album received a Metacritic rating of 59.^[5] Uncut magazine felt the record was "the desperate death-throe of a rank '90s relic."^[6]

References