The Awesome Album Review

There are few bands whose music I have been as entertained by throughout my life as the music of Mouse Rat. The Awesome Album has been a staple in my listening since it came out in 2011 and I really don’t see that changing any time soon. Thus I’d like to share my formal review of The Awesome Album with all of you today.

We start off with the iconic “The Pit”. While I normally turn to music for a break from reality, I love how much this song is rooted in reality. Lead singer and song writer Andy Dwyer fell in a pit and wrote a song about it. It’s so real which is quite respectable in my opinion. It’s definitely a jam too, like I have no doubt that this would be a sing along hit at any Mouse Rat concert due to the good vibes. Let’s be honest, what better thing is there to celebrate than falling in a pit?

Next we have “Menace Ball”. I love the chill, classic rock vibes of this song. We’ve got some fun guitar lines which really add some interest to the song. It’s a great nostalgic song about past love but manages not to sound mopey. Ending on the lyrics, “spread your wings and fly” definitely keeps the listener feeling optimistic about love which we all need to be.

Up next is “Mouse Rat Ann” which really shows off Mouse Rat’s range. This one is definitely more of a sad one that is sure to bring tears to the eyes of listeners. The sparse lyrics in the chorus really emphasize the message of the song, which is how much Andy misses Ann.

“Two Birds Holding Hands” is the next banger and when I say banger, I mean it. I appreciate that Mouse Rat got a bit metaphorical with this song, by referring to the love between two people as two birds holding hands. I love how this song captures but the realistic aspects of a relationship with lyrics like “we’ll do anything together, even eat some bacon” and the more fantastical aspects with lyrics like “we can go bowling then hitch a ride to outer space”. Love itself is somewhat fantastical and this song really shows that.

The next song is bringing tears to my eyes to write about because it was written to say goodbye to Lil Sebastian, Pawnee Indiana’s favorite miniature horse. “5000 Candles In The Wind” is a real tear jerker but I think that it properly pays homage to the life of that wonderful little horse. Though the song is sad, it does end on an optimistic note with the lyrics, “spread your wings and fly” which we all hope Lil Sebastian has done in horsey heaven.

“Catch Your Dreams” is another one that shows the range of Mouse Rat as it was the campaign song for when Leslie Knope ran for office. I think this one is a very interesting take on chasing your dreams. I had never thought about crushing your dream to keep it near to you but in retrospect I like that mentality a lot. You’ve gotta fight for your dreams and in the process sometimes fight your dreams.

“Sex Hair” is the closer of this album and it does not disappoint. I’m not going to go into detail about the message of this song because y’all are smart, I’ll let you infer. I will say though, what a fun way to close such a fun album!

Thanks for reading about this band and album I love so much, and happy April Fools’ Day! Oh and this blog is dedicated to my friend and second favorite resident Bad Boi, Chloe Miller.