Limp Bizkit is back?

Mmmm, feast your eyes on that artwork.

 

Well, here's a topic for you, esteemed readers.

Yeah, Limp Bizkit. Remember those guys? (What do you mean, you've never heard of them?) 

Clearly, I am selecting only the most pertinent and current topic from a whole slew of options. It's not like I'm having trouble figuring out what to write about, perish the thought!

Falling somewhat short of the level of a momentous blast-from-the-past that ABBA recently achieved by announcing and releasing a new album after a 40 year hiatus, Limp Bizkit has resurfaced with their own brand new album "Still Sucks". Did anyone notice? I swear, it's hard to gauge these days. Their previous effort "Gold Cobra" dates back to 2011 and failed to rekindle public interest in the band. This time around it would appear that they have a more solid offering.

In the decade between then and now, frontman Fred Durst wrote and directed his first feature film. "The Fanatic" from 2019 stars John Travolta in what I'd consider to be a standout role in his acting career. It's an odd mess of a film that I'd encourage you to see if you get the chance. But let's not get sidetracked any further. 

Winding back the clock to when I first became exposed to Limp Bizkit...it was a different time. At the turn of the millennium, the importance of MTV as a hub of music and youth culture was obvious. Lacking social media, it's no wonder that television formats like Total Request Live gained popularity among young people. The heightened way in which popular culture and especially music ties into one's own development of identity and independence during adolescence is a phenomenon that the music industry is always trying to tap into or cater to in different ways. 

Having a platform for getting your voice heard as a teenager can be tremendous, even if all you can muster is "Woo, Britney!" In TRL, what the audience were presented with was a popularity contest, with different artists and groups metaphorically duking it out for the top spot in a staged spectacle. Who's the most popular? You get to decide! Speaking of duking it out, I am here reminded of an animated show that also aired on MTV called "Celebrity Deathmatch," in which various artists and stars gruesomely killed each other in a wrestling ring. Americans and wrestling, it's a thing.

In my view, nu metal as a whole emerges as a calculated response to the boy bands and girl groups saturating the charts at the time. The saccharine, clean-cut and smiling pop aesthetic needed its "opposite": the alternative, edgy and irreverent bad boys of rap, pop punk and nu metal. American pro-wrestling has "faces" (the good guys) and "heels" (the baddies). TRL had the likes of 'N Sync and Limp Bizkit, pretty boys vs. misfits, yin and yang. The artists' promoted image and character fed into this framework of popular culture as a competition of opposing or adversarial identities. At the end of the day, disaffected youth rebelling against conformity is just another target market and many artists would gladly cash that check.

young biscuits

Needless to say, I knew which "side" I was on. Pull out your baggy cargo shorts, graphic tees and baseball caps! But honestly, I was never that big of a fan of Limp Bizkit (I was always more into System of a Down). Yes, I did buy and listen to "Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water" more than I'd care to admit. Ample profanity, sexual innuendo, aggressive in-your-face attitude, vocal disrespect of authority; such things appeal to teenage boys, what can I say? However, with time the appeal has waned. For me at least, it's the kind of music you age out of.

So has the band itself aged out of its old ways? 

Uhm, no. 

Stylistically, all of the elements that defined them at their prime are present here. This is not a departure into new territory. On the contrary, I think "Still Sucks" serves as a condensed and distilled version of the old-school energy and attitude that diehard fans would certainly expect and appreciate. Yes, it's fanservice. Loud and thick production, crunchy and blaring guitar riffs, silly lyrics, it's all there. 

Instead of all this indicating that Limp Bizkit is stuck in the past blindly rehashing the old formula, I feel that the intent is more self-aware and retrospective, directed quite lovingly at a fanbase that has grown older alongside the band. The track "Dad Vibes" addresses some of this sentiment in a tongue-in-cheek way. Also, the look of the band has, uh, developed.

Some attempt at incorporating more current affairs and themes can be seen on "Pill Popper" with its reference to the opioid crisis and on "Snacky Poo," which presents a dismissive take on chasing likes and current social media behaviour. The album clocks in at a mere 32 minutes, not overstaying its welcome. Aside from a few ballads, the energy stays high. It feels purposely designed for airing out some pent up raucousness in a controlled dosage.

old biscuits

All in all, my opinion of the album is quite favorable. I don't doubt that there's an audience for this sound even today. I don't find much to fault the album on, but it just doesn't resonate with me as much as I expected it would. I can only momentarily get into the prerequisite headspace for it to click with me and what little nostalgia I still have for Limp Bizkit won't keep me trying.