By the sixth track, "Clover," the Benjamins change gears and bare their Midwestern roots. Gone are the cutesy '80s effects, and in their place is the genius we all wish Soul Asylum still had after it made it big. You know, tuneful yet distorted guitars; pounding, upbeat rhythms; and catchy melodies with tag lines that tattoo themselves on your cranium: "I have ideas about the way things should be/I have a picture that you didn't give me." Marketed correctly "Clover" could win the Benjamins a guest appearance on Total Request Live (equipped, one can only hope, with a full complement of M-80s).
As with any 12-step (or -song) program, anger builds within The Art of Disappointment and culminates on the explosive "Gave It Away." With fresh breakup egg on his face, Jay screams: "I don't give a fuck/Who you fuck!" and swears to let the inevitable rebound go. You cheer for him, but you just know he's going to pick it up -- and catch an elbow in the teeth for his trouble.