New Pop Sunday [HDCD]

Ironically, Sponge got better with their second album, but their sales bottomed out, leading Columbia to drop the group not long after the promotional cycle for Wax Ecstatic was completed. Undaunted, Sponge regrouped and signed with Beyond, releasing New Pop Sunday in the spring of 1999. Picking up where Wax Ecstatic left off, New Pop Sunday finds the band embracing their pop, hard rock, and arena rock roots, creating an old-fashioned hard rock platter that sounds completely out of step with the late '90s. In a way, that's refreshing, since Sponge sound more natural here than they did on their on their debut album, Rotting Pinata, where their grunge posturings occasionally sounded forced. Here, the quintet sticks to classic forms, putting things together in new ways. They stumble here and there, but their songwriting continues to improve, as does their ability to craft immediate yet detailed productions. It's not a record that will win new fans, but New Pop Sunday will undoubtedly please fans who believed Wax Ecstatic was a major breakthrough. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine