2gether
Again (TVT)
They’re back — the only boy band that matters! Or at least the only one that can make you laugh intentionally. Created using the standard formula of cute one, shy one, heartthrob, bad boy, and older brother (only in this case the older brother is 34 and divorced), the five singers have unique, terrific voices, and the tunesmiths behind them are top-notch. They also score points over unworthy competitors ‘N Sync and the Backstreet Boys because, as a joke band to start with, they also have a sense of humor. Ironically, it’s questionable whether Again is appropriate for kids, since the humor has become not just sexual, but also pretty dark this time around. In fact, at this point 2gether may be the most misogynistic white pop band since the Knack, though lyrics like “Old people say I am still too young, to take a lady’s hand and give it the tongue” (“Awesum Luvr”) and “The cup is running over, or maybe it’s your bra” (“The Way You Do Me”) are all in fun. And what would mom think if she noticed the words to “U & U & Me” were about wanting to hang with the neighbor girls who “do each other’s make-up and so much more”? It’s worth getting caught with, though, just for the brilliant single “The Hardest Part of Breaking Up (Is Getting Back Your Stuff)” and the finale “Regular Guy,” in which “Bad Boy” Mickey Parke tries to ditch the boy-band thing for punk-rock street cred — and fails hilariously.
This article appears in Rick Perry.