At first blush, the song titles on Get Set Go’s CD ordinary world (“I Hate Everyone,” “My Wasted Life,” “Suicide”) make it look like just another slab of overwrought emo self-abnegation. But surprise! Instead, it turns out to be a fine, ambitious, varied, hook-filled, acidically misanthropic garage-pop song cycle that actually manages to justify a nearly 80-minute running time. Vocalist-guitarist-songwriter (and apparent Roald Dahl acolyte) Mike TV has stumbled upon fresh, exciting ways to do the self-loathing shuffle. Blithely sung lyrics along the lines of “Every time I think that everything is gonna work out someone comes and kicks me in the balls” might not earmark the disc as an instant classic, but it’s at the very least a garden of hateful, tuneful delight, and the often-anthemic songs practically beg to be heard in a live setting. Don’t miss out!
This article appears in Apr 6-12, 2006.