Some CDs work better as an incentive to see a band live than as leisure-time listening fodder. One such release is the amusingly titled How I Lost My Manhood Playing Racquetball, which reveals hints of infectious energy and songwriting promise under the unfortunate cloud of foggy production, which occasionally renders the guitars tinny and the rhythm section virtually inaudible while reducing the horn section to a series of distant toots. On the upside, Josh Taylor's vocals are strong throughout the album, particularly on "Make Up Your Mind" and "Ask Me About My Lawnmower." At times, The Squash Cannons crank out dictionary-definition ska, with bouncy basslines and choppy riffs, but more often the band plays punk with horns, like a low-velocity version of Less Than Jake. Lyrically, the group is not quite as goofily inventive as its record title would imply, but it does give insight into why it thanks the Bloodhound Gang and Blink-182 in its liner notes with the bawdy "Brown." There's some catchy horn-powered melodies on "Ask Me About My Lawnmower" and "Cries to You," and "Drinkin'" features the type of Bosstones-style breakdown that always gets the kids jumping, but for the most part this release is better at suggesting how much fun a Squash Cannons show might be than it is at translating the experience onto disc.
