This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Moneen’s last album was an arty, complex concept piece about numbers, science, harmony, love and the key to the universe.
This time out, however, the Toronto emo-math outfit take a more direct and less metaphorical approach, confronting everyday tragedies — the deaths of loved ones and love itself — to arrive at an unpretentious truth: Sometimes life sucks. Which is not to say that Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now? is either simplistic or a banal downer. While the band have reined in their mathematical complexity somewhat on these 10 soaring cuts, Are We Really Happy… is still as ambitiously imposing as its lengthy title, artsy bias-cut packaging and long-winded compositions (sample title: I Have Never Done Anything For Anyone That Was Not for Me As Well) would suggest. Plus it flat-out rocks, thanks to a seemingly inexhaustible supply of propulsive backbeats, chiming guitars and fiery aggression. Anyone who can achieve that sort of impressive balancing act has every reason to be happy with who they are.
