Me First & the Gimme Gimmes – Are We Not Men? We Are Diva!

One thing that cannot be argued when referencing Me First & the Gimme Gimmes: they are entertaining.

While many listeners may have tired of their long running shtick, their songs always deserve at least one listen. The initial attention grab of Gimmes’ songs is the fact that they tend to cover well known songs that people can sing along to, whether their knowledge comes from being exposed to their parents’ record collections or the background radio music from the local supermarket. For the most part, the group tackles popular music and warps it through a 90s Fat Wreck sound. Their biggest missteps were when they stretched their scope and covered obscure tracks from Japan or Australia. At the heart of the Gimmes is the sense that this is intended to be a fun side project for a group of aging punk rockers. Even the titles tongue in cheek ode to Devo elicits a smile.

The title to their latest release, Are We Not Men? We Are Diva! hints at the theme this time around. All of the songs are covers of songs that initially showcased the soaring pipes of the respective divas who made them famous. They cover everyone from Madonna (Crazy for You) to The Carpenters (Top of the World) and manage to keep the entertainment level high throughout. The energy kicks off high with a fun take on Gloria Gaynor’s well known I Will Survive. One could argue that Cake still retains the title of definitive cover of this song though. Paula Abdul’s Straight Up transforms in skate punk wonderfully. Those who are not familiar with the original could easily mistake this for an original composition. It is a great track with well-placed whoa ohs and fast guitars. The addition of auto tuned vocals on Cher’s Believe is hilarious and makes it one of the funniest songs on the disc. The downside is that it will also likely be one of the first songs to wear thin. There are some expected covers of Christina Aguilera’s Beautiful and Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You, but the Celtic stomp of Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On is utterly unexpected. One of the most overplayed songs of the 90s is reinvented into an actual likeable track. It is a strange high point on the album, where the Gimmes stretch their gimmick to its’ furthest bounds. Another unexpected moment comes when they kick off Speechless with a nod to Dead Boys’ Sonic Reducer. Unfortunately, the Lady Gaga cover falls flat shortly after.

My personal favourite cover comes from the sole male represented on the disc, the always colourful Boy George and his Culture Club hit Karma Chameleon. I remember going on vacation with my family when I was just 11 and running into these colourful punk teens in a neighbouring camp site. They played a punk cover of this song, which I knew from babysitters when I was younger and it blew my mind. I never did track down who was singing that cover, but this is a welcome upbeat cover of an insanely catchy song.

By now, everyone knows what to expect from a new Me First & the Gimme Gimmes release. This is an entertaining collection of cover songs done in a 90s punk style. Despite the fact that gimmicks often wear thin, the Gimme Gimmes continue to be one of the most engaging fun time bands around.