"If" is an almost perfect album...
....if it weren't for Mark David Chapman.

"If" is the newest and arguably the best MSI album. All the songs are very catchy... I mean, seriously, you will have them stuck in your head for DAYS.

Like I said, the only track I frequently skip is the last one, Mark David Chapman. I like the song, chorus is great, I just find the Spanish speaking parts annoying and boring. It is really the only track that is not absolutely perfect on the CD.

A lot of people are saying that this CD is bland, they get bored of it quick. Not for me. I have been listening to it constantly since I bought it about 3 or 4 weeks ago. It inspired me to go ahead and pick up "Frakenstein Girls" and "You'll Rebel to Anything".

This has become one of my favorite albums and it introduced me to MSI. If you are new to MSI, I suggest you buy this album first. It really is spectacular. It is just the right weird and quirky to not weird and quirky ratio. I believe everyone could find something to like in this album. I just hope you have a sense of humor :)

bummer
It's more like 2.5. It's not really bad by any means, just completely mediocre and forgettable (and MSI's the sort of band I would rather see release a horrible album than a bland one). All of their previous output has been sneeringly sarcastic, antagonistic, hedonistic, manic, ballistic- whereas everything about this album, from the title and packaging to the lyrics, structute and music itself, is completely ignorable. Songs are repetitive and overlong, Jimmy's vocals are lazy and supressed, and the lyrics are uninspired filler. I'm honestly usually the last person to make the assumption that I'm about to, but no album by any other band has seemed so obviously guilty. This is a cash-in.

"You are so good so far."
If their last album -- 2005's "You'll Rebel To Anything" -- was Mindless Self Indulgence's attempt at being a serious band and trying to write some remotely conventional songs, then "If" is the band setting out with the same goal, only this time, succeeding. I'm not going to kid you, this is not the 1999 Mindless Self Indulgence. They don't focus on the goofy 45-second song anymore. "If" still sounds like Mindless Self Indulgence, only a little more serious this time. The new wave introduction, the insanely catchy "Never Wanted To Dance" may turn off some ears, but gives a good idea of what to expect for the other sixteen tracks. Frontman Jimmy Urine (still get a chuckle out of that name) is in top form and still sounds as fresh as he did a decade ago. Without abandoning his signature style, he manages to shed some of the goofiness of album's past, which is refreshing, especially considering the abysmal failure that was their last album. Synthesizers, programmed drum beats and distorted guitars are all in full effect to make sure you're getting the full experience, and what you have is basically Mindless Self Indulgence reinvented. Some will love it, others will hate it. In all honesty, though, it's been nine years since "Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy." They've made only one album between then and now. And it stunk. Obviously they're done with the old. So in with the new. For better, for worse, it works. Mindless Self Indulgence actually have a future.

Reviewer who has watched the saga of MSI unfold for the last 10 years..
Let's be honest here...

As a long time M.S.I. fan, this is their first album that gives me an uneasy feeling. The older albums had a lot of lyrics that were inside jokes within the band and wouldn't make sense to your average listener (e.g. Planet of the Apes), which was actually very random and entertaining. Now, these songs seem to be easy to understand and made for the new young generation of M.S.I. fans. I think M.S.I. has forgotten that many of their fans from the Tight and F.G.W.S.S.S. era are now nearly 10 years older.

I think one of the fun things with the old albums was slowly figuring out what Jimmy Urine's lyrics were. Now, apparently somebody came up with the idea for him to make a good portion of his lyrics very easy to understand. (which turns out to be a bad thing) Also, there are some very obvious attempts at songs that are made with the hopes that the younger fans will eat it up. Jimmy Urine is probably around his mid/late-30s. I wish he wouldn't feel the need to make music that caters to 16-18 year olds. The original thing M.S.I. would do at their shows is try to piss off people, but now they are trying to satisfy them.

Don't get me wrong there are some elements of old MSI in here and there are many good songs. However, I'm not used to them having more than 1 bad song on an album, but there is a disgusting run of horrid songs on this CD (especially from track 4 until track 6) that are just the worst songs M.S.I. have ever made. Urine's production has improved, but his lyrics and his delivery of them have suffered greatly. Production = up Lyrics = down Delivery = down

As one of the other reviewers said..I also noticed the over-abundance of hand-claps..which probably have hopes to be used during the live set with the fans. I don't want to see MSI go out with a whimper. I don't want them leaving the music world on this note. I would have been happy with them leaving the industry on the last album, especially if this is what was going to follow. I hope they take a good turn and stop trying to satisfy the little kids at the shows and satisfy themselves (not meaning their pocket-book). This is Mindless Self Indulgence....not Mindless Teenage Fan Indulgence.

I rate this a 3.5, but I won't round up because you have the kiddies who just throw 5s out there without a real review. This is still way better than your average CD coming out lately.

Quick rundown of my opinion of the tracklist:


1.) Never Wanted to Dance - This is actually a pretty good song. Decent chorus.

2.) Evening Wear - The chorus is the what saves this song.

3.) Lights Out - Nothing really wrong with this.

4.) Prescription - Like Adam Cooley said on his review..this song is just horrid. The lyrics are not something that should be written by an intelligent grown man (which Urine is)

5.) Issues - Another song that will probably appeal the young immature kids, but should not have been written and released by a human being with dignity.

6.) Get it Up - Another immature horrible song. The type of lyrics that will appeal to juggalos probably. Not to say MSI is mature, but even on the old albums when they were writing fun songs, they weren't so obviously stupid. There was actually some wittiness behind it.

7.) Revenge - This is M.S.I. This is why we love them. His best delivery on the entire album.

8.) Animal - A very good song. Great delivery...great fun lyrics.

9.) Mastermind - This is such an obvious attempt at making an accessible song. Sadly, it's one of the worst songs MSI have ever made. The music itself is pretty good, but the lyrics and delivery are cringe worthy.

10.) On It - decent song.

11.) Pay For It - Pretty good song as well

12.) Due - Very good catchy song.

13.) Money - Pretty amusing song..the lyrics are pretty entertaining..especially if you've seen Swingers.

14.) Bomb this Track - Jimmy doin' his rap thang....not bad.

15.) Mark David Chapman - Another good song.

The Latest Mindless Album
Okay - let me start by saying that I am not a hardcore MSI fan. However, Tight, Frankenstein Girls, and YRTA really grew on me after I was turned onto them a few years ago. But the weird magic of those albums doesn't seem to find its way onto "If". I am disappointed that the first half of the CD sounds - well... a bit too formulaic for MSI. Songs like "Lights Out" are catchy, but wear out after a couple listens. And if I didn't know any better, the first few seconds of "Never Wanted To Dance" might be the beginning of a White Stripes CD in disguise. Fortunately things do pick up starting with "Mastermind". Ah, this is more like what I was hoping for. More cheesy yet infectious rapping and less singing. My guess is that they were under pressure to put out a new full-length and just threw together a bunch of filler tracks. Although I'd say the first 8 songs on "If" are mediocre, the rest would make a damn fine EP.