4 out of 5

Label: Island Records

Produced by: Greig Nori, Deryck Whibley

I’ve been sitting here, twiddling my thumbs (i.e. internet browsing) for 30 minutes, not writing this review.  “Why?” you might ask, in that way that you suddenly ask me things.  And, in all your unrepentant cleverness you add: “Because Sum 41 sucks and you can’t thing of anything positive to say?”

“Dang,” I say to this very realistic representation of you, “that’s such an outdated criticism by this point.  The group has earned their chops and produced some quality tracks along the way.  But regardless: no, and ‘Half Hour of Power’ would be good without those future chops and tracks.”

You turn away, surprised I didn’t have something more interesting to say.

I KNOW, ME TOO!

Hence the thumb twiddling.

Here’s the thing: Half Hour is surprisingly good, given that followup All Killer, while a stone cold classic, is good… but in a more snotty, juvenile way.  HHoP has those markings – a dumb hip-hop track; crude song titles; 3 minutes of silence just to make that titled half hour mark – but it’s also oddly mature for a debut by a band that made its name in the Blink-182 pop-punk scene, and much less bratty than its silly cover would suggest.  It’s absolutely recognizable as Sum, with its blend of so-cal punk and metal riffs, but it’s fascinatingly inventive and playful, bringing in horns and harmonies and showcasing the kind of creativity that would mark the band as notables and not strictly scenesters as the years ticked on.  My brain had filed this as a generic pop-punk disc for whatever reason – and I think that would be the logical assumption for how the group’s sound would’ve progressed – when instead it seems like the Jerry Finn guidance of their hit record might’ve steered them temporarily off of a slightly different path.  Nothing drastic, but Greig Nori’s raw production makes this disc sound phenomenal, and it’s apparent the group knew they had some great material here, given that half of it ended up being re-used on other albums.

‘Second Chance for Max Headroom’ is a bit flat until its wonderfully cheery ska outro, and the rap bit lacks the stupid cool feel of its application on Killer; it’s just dumb.  Elsewise, Half Hour of Power is a ridiculously solid chunk of music, as a standalone punk experience and as an entry in the band’s catalogue.