I have no idea what Snafoo means but I’m assuming it is some type of derivation stemming from the old SNAFU saying (If you do not know what that means then Google it or something).

The album starts out with a funky little number called “Open Discussion,” which has a pretty rockin’ bass beat provided by John Goeltz ’03. The song starts out very tight and includes such great lyrics as “She wouldn’t stop talking. I couldn’t stop gawking.” I think we’ve all been there before. But after the first few verses, this song moves from a loveable funky tune to a loose guitar-based song that seems to lose a little bit of its flare.

The first true highlight of the album is “Milkman Revisited” — every instrument blends with the others, and the group shows that it knows how to lock in. At times, we get a certain Pearl Jam feel from the waning lead vocals of Mike Estler ’02. This song will clearly hit a personal note for most with the first line, “I wanna be a milkman when I grow up.” A talented yet modest guitar solo falls in, and then the song gets back into the normal groove.

The band changes track rather quickly for the next song, “Sundays,” and moves to a Cake-like style with a deftly picked guitar rhythm and funny yet meaningful lyrics that deal mainly with something all Yalies are familiar with — shopping at Shaw’s. But later, it turns out this song is actually a love song. Cool.

Snafoo goes country with “All in good time.” They bring in some classic twangy guitars and slow melodies that are more insightful than most country songs. The lyrics to this song really jive with the slow, laid-back rhythm as they harmonize about not being rushed about life, love and all the other stuff that can just as well wait another day. It is a true ode to procrastination. The song has much more meaning to it than this, but you can figure it out yourself– I wouldn’t want to give it all away.

The tone of the album changes yet again with the mellow ballad “Pinball Machine.” A simple guitar beat accompanied by a soothing piano melody stress the song’s slightly humorous tone. It is basically a love song that makes a relationship analogous to a pinball machine. Unfortunately it doesn’t talk about the only true love: those really neat pinball machines where you can have more than one ball at a time — I want one of those.

As a whole, the album is impressive. The band experimented with a lot of different sounds, and, while not settling on any one in particular, still pull together a very solid, complete album.

Known more for its live shows, Snafoo will be playing at Yale in the Jonathan Edwards College dining hall tonight. Make sure you check them out before you are too far into your pre-Game booze bender.