By Ashleigh Johnson
Published: October 14, 2009
Categorized in | News
By Ashleigh Johnson
Daily Titan Copy Editor
Ladies and gentlemen, the Backstreet Boys are back (all right!). I have seen the future of music and it is good. This is Us, the latest endeavor by the ‘90s boy band, ushers the group to a new level of maturity. The lyrics are heartfelt and soulful, the best that I have heard in a long, long time. Picture a beautiful stream filled with choirs of angels… Pffft… Singing… Songs… About beauty and—HAHAHAHAHA! Sorry, I couldn’t keep a straight face.
Seriously though, it’s difficult to eloquently explain the experience of listening to this album without the use of a shotgun. Here is the best explanation that I can give after several hours of thought.
Remember the movie Old Yeller? It’s the one about a boy and his dog and the priceless friendship that they developed. Remember when the dog got attacked by a wolf and you were all relieved that he survived? But then he started getting progressively more aggressive. “It’s OK,” you tell yourself. “Old Yeller is the titular character, and he and the boy share a love that cannot be destroyed. He will get better!” But then at the end of the film, the boy is forced to shoot his beloved pet in order to end his misery.
Cue credits and a lifetime of mental scars.
This is roughly the same as listening to This is Us without all the classic movie trappings and likeability. In short: this album is less enjoyable than watching a movie about a dog being shot in the face.
I was a child of the ‘90s and I remember the boy band experience well. Hell, I was even a Backstreet Boys fan; and then I turned 12.
Who thought that it would be a good idea for them to release a new album? Their fans are all grown up and have since moved on. The only people who may even remotely find this CD enjoyable is anyone under the age of 10, and even then they would probably only tolerate it for a short while. They would only be drawn to it for the first listening, though granted that would be long enough to—.
Holy crap, I just found the target audience.
Download: This whole CD. And then don’t forget to update your NAMBLA subscription, you sick bastard.
Print this post 
8 Responses to “Review: This Is Us”
Post a Comment
The Daily Titan wants your comments! Please know that we reserve the right to moderate these.
If you'd like to display your photo, go and get a Gravatar.
Stay connected
- Popular
- Featured
- Comments
- Tags
- Subscribe
- Students show solidarity for gay rights
- Second annual Relay for Life will come to Fullerton next month
- OCTA chairman discusses the state of the organization
- Titan trio dominant force on the mound
- Putting a face on CSUF artwork
- Review: Bat Boy:The Musical
- Club informs students of Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- Audrey H.: What about the Three-strike Law,regarding early prisoners release cre...
- norseman: Zzzz.......
- mac mcgee: It seems Mr. Sridhar has gotten hold of my drawings/specs from about t...
- silencedogood: ^Because it's cool to protest the man and not cool to protest rock n r...
- ClicheCarlton: I always call halftime intermission too, because it reminds of the the...
- Peter Black: You wrote that "If the kid stops pedaling, the pedals keep moving unle...
- weedhopper: Great article. I like his style. Didn't he do some writing for the O...
Aaron Thompson Afghanistan Angels ASI Barack Obama baseball Bryce Webster budget cuts California Cal State Fullerton CSU CSUF Dodgers drugs earthquake economy education Facebook fee increases Food Fullerton furloughs H1N1 health care Iraq Jer'Vaughn Johnson jobs Long Beach State March 4 Marijuana Music NBA NFL Obama Orange County parking review Sports Titan Student Union TSU Twitter UC UCLA USC volleyball
Subscribe to Daily Titan updates!
- Subscribe to the Daily Titan by Email
- Subscribe to the Daily Titan RSS Feed
Poll
Loading ...
Students get Text Links online. Need Debt Relief help for student loans? Buy a Memory Foam Mattress for your dorm room. Consider day trading to pay off college loans. Learn how web hosting is integral to setting up your college Web site. Check out the Cal State Fullerton Titan Yearbook Archive. Find a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney near campus. Check out the Longboard Shop.
Personally I love the album, and it seems that you’ve written a review based on little factual knowledge. Most current BSB fans are in their twenties or early thirties.
I’m a teenager about to go into university and I also think they’re great. They’re an international hit who continue to perform to sell out crowds. True, they’ll probably never achieve the same level of popularity they once held, but they have enough fans who’ll support them, buy their albums and attend their concerts.
40 000 albums sold in a week is nowhere near the success of Millenium – but it’s still turning over a profit and clearly many people out there still like them.
If you hate them so much, don’t listen to their music – it’s not like they’re swamping current media…
Clearly since the band is making a profit, this band is awesome. Ashleigh Johnson should apologize immediately.
All right! Here we go again..Backstreet Boys are back once again and (still) don’t satisfy the reviewers ^^..For me, it seems like as if reviewers were not allowed to raise them, even just a little. Well, that’s fine. If people don’t like BSB and their music, there’s nothing much we can do, right?!..But, I need to say this to whoever reads this review, “Please read also the comments.”..If you do, you’ll have a better thought about BSB. I mean you won’t see only the negative things about the group. But also the positive things. At the end, you are the one who will decide if BSB are (still) good, better or bad.
I have been their fan since they released their first album in 1996. I was about 11 years old at the moment. I’ve grown up now and so has my taste of music. But, it doesn’t mean that I can’t accept BSB’s music anymore. It’s basically because I am a fan of music. When it’s good, it’s good. The BSB’s new album (This is Us) is not “a guilty pleasure”. You can have it even if you’re not a fan (maybe, you will be after listening to this whole album ^_^). If you want an album that has more than one, two or three good songs, “This is Us” is one of them. This time, Backstreet Boys did make a great album; the one that people should listen.
uh.. i’m 21 and i have loved them since i was 11. i haven’t “moved on” and proud to say it! plus, your review sucks. you don’t even talk about any of the songs, producers, what specifically you don’t like. why do you think that only 10 year olds or perverts would like the music? seriously, pick up an AP stylebook and then try again copy editor.
Not all the fans from the 90’s have moved on. I’m 27 and have been a fan from the beginning and will continue buying and loving Backstreet’s albums. They’re a lot better than most of the God-awful “bands” out there now…
The one thing that is important is that the fans are happy and they love the new albums and i’m agree with them.nothing else is important for me and the fans!they still love bsb and they will.
gotta say was never a Backstreet boys fan but d 1st single made its way in2 ma head & i hav just brought d album .. & gotta say its fr***ng amazing .. good job guys …
The album is fantastic. Songs like Shattered and Straight Through My Heart are just amazing!