Reviews by soundowl

Dull pop-rock with cringey lyrics

Hoo boy, the only reason I checked this record out was morbid curiosity. I have this weird Kellogg's 90's disc that the song Let's Make a Night to Remember was off of, and that's what led me to this.

I might as well tell you what is good about the record. The clean production and the ballads are all pretty okay. The closing track elicited an "oh that song!" Moment out of me, and the classical guitar playing on top of it was quite nice actually. The aforementioned Let's Make a Night is a decent rock ballad with some empassioned vocals. Black Pearl was also quite good.

Now... this album's major hindrance is the lyrics. In an album where it's mostly typical pop rock, the lyrics are one thing you want to get right. Adams certainly did not do that. The song about wanting to be underwear and the song complaining about aging are the most egregious offenders here, other tracks are just plain uninteresting.

It's almost a shame cause Adams does sound good at this point. His voice is still tastefully raspy and the instrumentals; while a tad cookie cutter, were serviceable and his guitar playing is fine. This album just falls apart in the sense that it barely tried and falls for some of the worst mid-life crisis rocker tropes ever.

Skate Punk Bliss

Unless you were an avid local music fan in Boston during the early 2000's, then you most likely would've only been exposed to this group via Guitar Hero or Rock Band, as was the case for me! That's fine however, as my curiosity led me to check out this record.

Right off the bat, Day Late Dollar Short kicks it off, and this song should bring out some Rock Band 1 memories. It's a killer track with an incredibly catchy chorus and tasty guitar leads.

Callout is a bonus track from Guitar Hero 1, and so is Laughtrack from Guitar Hero 2. The latter being my favorite of the two, with it's jaunty rhythms and changing tempos it's possibly the best track on the album.

The band is no stranger to doing covers and The Primitives Crash is a fine example of the band taking the classic song and punking it up so to speak.

The rest of the album is all solid as well, providing catchy skate punk that's energetic and to the point. Full of fast guitar leads and Rancid-esque bass fills. It's not reinventing the wheel, and most likely won't blow your mind, but it's hype and gets me moving and I love it for that.

"You're always hanging on to last year's next big thing
A top ten list of fads gone by"~

Honestly not terrible. It's catchy, effervescent, it's teeny-bop pop rock at it's finest.

Gateway Rock Band

5 Seconds of Summer blew up in popularity right after I graduated high school, and I can see why. Their boy band qualities combined with the upbeat and pop-punk stylings are pretty much a surefire way to get young girls into this more rockin' version of. It also makes sense this band opened for them, hence cementing their popularity amongst that demographic.

Now the appeal in 5SOS comes from the fact that they write their own songs and play their own instruments, taking "boy band" to a new dimension by actually being a band. They're all fairly proficient at what they do as well. Catchy four chord power pop with punk rock flavors (not quite pop-punk), with group harmonies and songs about teenage love and life, they are the whole package here.

The opening track "She's so Perfect" is the omnipresent summer jam, sing-a-long choruses and sticky lyrics guarantee this. The rest of the album pretty much follows suit. Every track displaying an upbeat energy and boyish attractiveness that would get young teens enamored with these Aussie Backstreet Boys.

Therein lies the issue for me with the record. The songs themselves are harmless in all reality. As an adult nearing my 30's this music is way past my threshold for enjoyment, yet I can certainly see the appeal and if my hypothetical 13 year old was into this, I would have no problem with it...in fact this would hopefully get them into certain styles of rock and pop that they can enjoy as they grow older, and I can therefore see the merit in this record's existence. It's current RYM score is not very fair I feel as obviously this isn't gonna appeal to your average music-head (especially if you're over the age of 25).

So really, it's fine for what it is. 5SOS by the time of this review have grown up and matured so the band wasn't destined to be pigeon-holed into this kind of music forever (thankfully) but if a young zoomer happens upon this album and falls in love, so be it.

"Your lipstick stain is a work of art"

Semi-enjoyable post grunge fodder

3 Door Down are probably one of the most consistent modern rock bands to burst onto the scene in the early 00's. Their fourth record here tries some new things but ultimately falls a little flat on the back half.

Lyrically the album seems to be a push and pull between realization that relationships aren't working out (These Days and When It's Over), and having tender moments and good times between the two (Your Arms Feel Like Home and Runaway).

The album does open with probably their hardest rocking song they've written on "Train". A song about leaving home and starting a journey, cliche type stuff. The riffs are tasty though and lead singer Brad Smtih actually puts in some effort in making it sound like he cares when singing so that's awesome.

Continuing the streak of having a great first leg we have the song "Citizen/Soldier" which is a bit of a National Guard propaganda song but it also sounds the least like a 3 Doors Down song out of the tracks here, it's got a good progression to it also which I enjoy. "It's Not My Time" is an absolute banger of a track, with catchy chorus and uplifting lyrics, it's fantastic. "Let Me Be Myself" is a power ballad in typical 3DD fashion but it is an earworm and pretty good tune also.

The rest of the album starts to fall by the wayside once the song "It's The Only One You've Got" comes on. Songs start to blend together, they get instrumentally repetitive and the filler begins to pile up. There were a couple decent tracks towards the end that had some energetic songwriting and the more angsty cuts were easier to get into, but the slower ballad type songs just get tedious and by the time the last song is over you'll want to take a nap.

Still though, I find that as far as these types of 00's generic rock albums go this one wasn't too bad, especially during the first half where nearly every song was a rager. 3 Doors Down is the perfect mom-rock band and this album will satisfy any middle-aged adult's wishes to rock out.

"This could be the end of me
And everything I know
Ooh, but I won’t go"!~

Goofy fuckin' rock music

Okay so like

This album is the band's 3rd major release and contains their biggest hits, "Down" and "All Mixed Up". The former being a heavy alt metal song about being thankful for their fans, and the latter being a well rounded multi-phased Reggae rock cut with catchy chorus and lyrics.

The rest of this album is whack.

Instrumentally you got the bassist P-Nut who goes between being a virtuoso superstar on his instrument, to barely being there other than simply mimicking the straightforward rhythm sections the lead is playing. You got Tim Mahoney playing chunky chord progressions and every ONCE in a while busts out a major solo. Chad Sexton is a monster on drums so his beats are fun to listen to, but when it all comes together the mix makes these guys sound like mush when they aren't playing the more reggae inspired stuff. This album is actually very scarce in that style, only a handful of songs enter chilled out mode too.

Then you have the lyrics. What in the goddam fuck are these lyrics???? For some songs they seem well-written and make sense, the major hits for example and there's one song about domestic abuse that seems well thought out and meaningful, but otherwise they literally just create rhymes for the sake of having vocals on top of the music, and the rhymes are god awful. Like, just read the lyrics to "Brodels" and you'll see what I mean.

The major thing is though, there's a talent underneath the vapid songwriting and muddy playing, it's just not shining on this record. Most of the songs are very forgettable when simply just listening to them, and they all start to really blend together into a loud distorted fog. I am really perplexed how an album that went triple platinum managed to sound this lazy and uninspired. Their previous effort "Grassroots" was WAY better in my opinion.

Despite my complaints, the fact that this album is short makes me feel like it really isn't all THAT bad in comparison to some of their truly awful material, and the juvenile energy they bring is sorta infectious to a degree and when the instrumentals do hit, they become bops despite the lyrics being so garbage. So it's really kind of a mixed back and forth of being annoyed and enjoying what I am hearing.

Not a must listen by any means, but cherry pick the higher rated songs here.

"Soon the church pitted bell will clang
Boys on the corner mack with slang play a dice game
When I walk by it some bag lady goes sha-na-na-na"

Thirty Seconds to Mars' first foray into music is a vastly different style than what they would later become known for, but all of the elements that they've utilized are still present here. Big anthemic choruses, dramatic production, you name it. This time though, all of that energy is put forth into making a superb space rock concept record full of futuristic instrumentation and electronics, as well as esoteric lyrics about space and society.

The guitars in this album are either crushingly heavy with many distortion effects and layers added to them, or they can be light and ethereal and really give that "Sci-Fi" feel they were going for. The drumming is tight and robotic, and the assortment of electronic nuance really help give this record it's identity. The songs are vast and dark, Leto's vocals are really well utilized for this record. It's kind of hard to believe this is a debut recording from a fledgling band.

Concept-wise, it's all loosely tied together with very cryptic themes but all coming together in the sense of trying to move humanity towards a society ready for space exploration and colonization. What really holds this album together is the atmosphere, which it deals heavy in.

I really love this record, it does get a tad exhausting towards the end, but honestly it's pretty worth it. It's a whole mood that I can get lost in.

"Welcome To The Universe"

I hear you callin' me to come back

His first posthumous release of material other than the already completed Makaveli album, this project was overseen by his mom Afeni and is usually considered the best of his post-death albums. It definitely feels like it too, as for the most part it does feel like a Pac "rarities and b-sides" release.
While it doesn't feel like an LP should with any kind of track flow or definitive beginning, middle and end, the spirit is there and there are some pretty fire songs scattered throughout.

When this album falters it's due to the beats not really matching with what Pac was known for, or what he was actually rapping over with the original cuts of the songs. There are some rather uncanny songs for that reason that do feel off. The production though was pretty great.

So yeah basically, it's not bad. It functions like an album made in his memory, and not like a soulless cash grab ((foreshadowing)).

The start of 2Pac's legendary career and string of albums begins here on 1991's 2Pacalypse Now. This project is classic west coast rap and hip-hop all the way, down to the beat production and the lyrics. A very young 2Pac lays it all out on this album, holding nothing back and coming out of the gate swinging on everything he needs to get off his chest.

Tupac's classic stuff is often pointed inward. Rapping about his own experiences in gang life and all the surrounding problems that comes with it, to his experiences living in a poor impoverished world as a young black man just struggling to live. This first album by him takes a lot of that latter sentiment and projects it outward in frustration and anger at the systemic, racially-motivated injustices of the world. The police, the government, the struggles with drugs and violence, all of it. Even just the negative effects of a lack of education and being beat down by the system and how it can affect the communities. For being so young, Pac's lyricism and storytelling was mature beyond his years and despite his anger coming across as a bit juvenile in how it's executed, everything said here is purposeful and drives the point home perfectly. The messaging of this album is potent, and that alone is enough to make Pac an icon and a figure to be noticed.

The music in this album is fantastic as well. The production style is pretty spot-on for early 90's material. Boom-Bap beats and plenty of sampling of classic 70's soul and disco provide the backdrop for many of the tracks here. "If My Homie Calls" has the most upbeat and uplifting instrumental, despite the lyrics saying otherwise. You can thank the Herbie Hancock bassline for that. "Part Time Mutha" pulls from Stevie Wonder, giving this autobiographical song a smooth motown edge to an otherwise dejected and frustrating tale of struggle.

It wouldn't be a proper review without mentioning the album's crown jewel, and that would be "Brenda's got a baby". A song that perfectly displays Pac's skills at storytelling, as he raps about a twelve year girl who ends up pregnant and living on the streets as a prostitute, before more tragedy befalls her. The song was inspired by a news article detailing a similar situation, and the amount of detail and anguish in the lyrics is enough to pull the tears out of most. It's a dark and grim reality that most of the privileged audiences of this music never had to face or witness, and it's accessibility was incredibly effective at showing the world what that kind of life is like for the unfortunate who experienced it.

The few blemishes this album does have I just chalk it up to it being a product of it's time. Some of the ad-libs are kinda goofy at times, some sound effects feel a bit out of place or jarring in the mix, and one or two songs aren't as substantive as others (Something Wicked specifically). All in all though, for a debut album I found this project incredibly well made and well thought out. The album has a natural flow that feels great to listen to, and the thematic cohesion is pulled off really well too, It's dark, violent, depressing, and above all inspiring in a way. The album's honesty and unfiltered storytelling is it's strongest weapon even though a lot of the songs are fantastic too. I think even though it gets overshadowed by Pac's later releases, it's an essential 90's rap record and should not be overlooked or skipped.

"2Pacalypse Now, America's Nightmare"~

A curious release

To my knowledge I suppose this was recorded by a group of young teens for a contest? I found out about this thanks to the Rock Band Network. Their song just hang on was published for the game, and I found it through there.

It's a pretty short collection of hard and blues rock. Played rather competently, with some generic but tasteful rock riffs, and rather inoffensive lyrics that don't really mean much other than what's on the surface. The singer is actually pretty good also. Which helps cause once more, the lyrics aren't really much of anything.

Some songs just kinda fall by the wayside, such as the last track aptly titled The Conclusion. Still, it was neat and cute. Not something I would eagerly return to, but I can't completely write it off either. Part of me wonders what happened to these kids and if they are finding success in the music world. It seems kind of a waste to record this EP and have nothing become of these guys.

"Just Hang On, and never let go~"

The Bonus Tracks are redundant and pointless.

The main album I enjoy quite a bit despite it's flaws, but when I acquired the album, it was the bonus edition that fell into my lap.

Disc 2 is worthless.

Sorry to be blunt, but it has very very few good songs in it. Some of them are just rough recordings of the album's major hits, some sound like decent enough tunes but the mixing is so bad that it becomes distracting, and the vast majority are sleepy d-sides that are drowning in melatonin.

On top of all of that, there's plenty more of those spacey synth tracks that feel so pointless in keeping in the track list.

I find very little reason at all to put on the bonus tracks, save for the song titled You, that one (not including the hidden track attached to it) is the best original song on the whole thing.

1975 dont know how to craft an album

Notes on a conditional Form from the 1975 is theit newest project, and in typical 1975 fashion it's a long one.

I have quite a bit to say about this one so I'm gonna break it down to three points: The Good, The Bad, and The Issues.

The good:
- This album contains some of The 1975's best songs to date. "If you're too shy let me know", "Guys" and the "You and me together song" are some of their most well-written and well played tracks in a long time.

-"Shy" is everything that makes them good turned up to 11. The guitars are shimmering and clear, with great rhythm and solid playing. The main hook of the song has a wonderful horn section that not only adds to the catchiness, but also gives it an even greater 80's flair than it had previously. The topic of this song is how to address intimacy in the internet age, a topic that 1975 frontman Matthew Healy considers to be really important.

-"guys" is a love song for the friends in one's life. Matt states that "Songs typically sing about romance in relationships but rarely tackle the type of relationship one has with your close friends." It's a really sweet song with dreamy vocals and atmosphere, serving as the album's closer it really does fit in this regard.

- "You and me" is another great song that has a happy and upbeat instrumental combined with actual sunny lyrics and no hint of cynicism or a twist in mood at all. A simple pop rock jam that will definitely make you move your feet.

-"People" is the album's first real track and it's a rager. Loud and abrasive, with shouted vocals and fuzzy guitars and booming drums. It's for all intents and purposes a punk rock song. The song's lyrics reflect this as well as it is about frustration with how society and people in general treat the world around us.

The Bad:

This record suffers from what I think The 1975 are known for doing, and that's packing a ton of musical ideas into one record and not having them connect, or feeling just like scraps or vignettes that don't add to the experience in a meaningful way.

Plenty of songs here such as "Shiny collarbone", "Bagsy not in net", "Having no Head" and "The End" are all instrumental pieces of music usually with house beats and garage samples mixed in. These songs feel like they take up the majority of the record, going one or two tracks like this before arriving at a single ( which have been released prior to the album's drop date). This wouldn't be so much a problem for me if it had a commenting theme or flow but most of the time they just feel like isolated soundscapes.

Reading about this record, it seems like Matt and co took a lot of inspiration from garage and house artists of the past, such as Burial. They talk about how proud of these songs they are and to me it reads as if they really wanted to make a house record. This honestly would be cool if there were more meat on the song's bones and if the surrounding singles had that vibe as well. It all feels very disjointed and scattered.

The Issues:

This record basically proves to me what I had come to theorize with The 1975's creative processes and how they construct an album, and that's that they don't. The band seems to go about creating albums less as an art in and of itself, and more as a vehicle for housing the songs they create. The major lack of a connecting theme or narrative is the major example of this. The opening track is a piece by Greta Thunberg urging the listener to take our environment into consideration and make changes now, and then the song "People" plays right after. This is the only instance where there's a connection thematically to the songs. After this, politics and the environment are not brought up again.. at all. Having this be your opening statement( or thesis) and then have the rest of your project not address it is really confusing to me (on top of basically making the opening track an instant-skip as this adds nothing of musical value to the record).

Conclusion:
If you like The 1975 and their formula for albums, you will definitely enjoy this record. For me, it had good songs, but not good as a whole. It wasn't as exciting, or out-of-left field as some of their other works, and it felt unfinished or unfocused in ways as well. I would certainly check out their singles at least.

I'm feeling a 5/10

Their best album. It's no contest.

I've always enjoyed their singles but the albums are super hit or miss. They're a band that for me, are tough to love. This album made the wait worth it though.

Take all the aspects of their new wave and pop rock influences and craft it into something that's incredibly endearing and charming not only in it's themes, but also in it's flow. Seldom is this record uninteresting, at worst it's a bit predictable, but overall it's so mature and tasteful. Gone is the over-indulgence of Matt's wild experimentations, and here we have focus and tact applied to the band's formula.

As someone who's stuck with this group for about 6 or so years now, this album is so very very welcome.

I'm happiest when I'm doing something that I know is good

"Thank you Kanye, Very Cool"

The 1975's 3rd album is also their first attempt at a concept record. The topic at hand being, relationships of all kinds in the modern era, and humanity's embrace and reliance on technology. Sprinkle in some themes regarding frontman Matthew Healy's heroin addiction experiences, and you have ABIIOR in a nutshell.

At first I thought this record might be their most focused and well put-together projects they've ever done, and I was kind of right. Upon further review however, I found this record to still be majorly flawed and rife with Healy-isms that bring down their projects as a whole for me. Not to say that I think this project is bad per se, but it certainly wasn't the shining jewel that I thought it to be at first.

Let's get my main criticism out of the way right off the bat, there is too much filler. 15 tracks is pretty trim for a 1975 record, but it still takes it's time by having each song go for a bit too long in parts, and having a near 1 hour run time makes this experience a bit of a drag in parts. There aren't nearly as many useless interludes or weird sonic detours this time thankfully. The biggest issue in regards to how bloated this album feels is definitely in the pacing. This has always really been an issue I've had as well. The band's big singles are all fantastic, but you sprinkle in the "Be My Mistake"s, and the "Surrounded by Heads and Bodies"s of the track list, and it feels so sludgy and bogged down by slow intimate moments that kill this album's momentum.

Let's take a break and talk about the singles. The first one being "Give Yourself a Try". This song is pretty good. It's got a noisy and repetitive guitar part, which is supplemented by a snappy rhythm section and underlying bass harmonies. Matty's vocals stand out, as he sings about embracing yourself for yourself and living a little, instead of being stuck inside both physically and metaphorically. "TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME" is a bit more subtle of a single, but is still catchy in it's own right as it discusses the dysfunctionality of technology and interactions with significant others. It's a fine song even if it's not my personal favorite.

"Love it If We Made It" took a while to grow on me, but it's absolutely great. A bit heavy handed on the "World sucks everything is shit" attitude, and some of the modern day references do date it quite a bit, but I felt the hopeful chorus does lift this song's message up and prevent it from being a "woe is me" anthem. The pounding bridge with the touches of saxophone are nice as well.

"Sincerity is Scary" is a bit of an odd song for the group. It's basically pop-gospel and has that breezy urban "maroon 5 Sunday Morning" feel to it. Lyrically it's at odds with the music itself as a toxic relationship is broken down and described in detail. I feel odd about it, and it sticks out in kind of a less than flattering way, but I can see why if someone enjoys this track.

"It' Not Living" is this album's second outright banger of a song, with a catchy as FUCK chorus and that glistening peppy sugary sweet pop-rock production and style that made hits like "The Sound" and "Girls". Lyrically it can be interpreted to be either about a relationship in the sense of romance, the relationship with technology, or in Matty's case (as evidenced by the music video) drugs. It's a pretty great song, popping up this late in the track list is a breath of fresh air.

The final track is my most favorite one, "I Always wanna Die" is a bittersweet ballad. The ghostly chorus and the ethereal instrumental just coalesce into one of their best songs ever, and a perfect bookend to the record. I highly highly suggest this one.

As I alluded to when talking about "It's not living" being a breath of fresh air, this record has pacing issues. A lot of this record is balladry that's either stripped back and acoustic, or dreamy and spaced out, or even done in a lounge-jazz chamber pop kind of way. The experimentation with style and genre is admirable, but makes the meat of this record so drab as an experience. The stretch from "Love it" to "It's Not Living" is a slogggggg. The songs by themselves aren't really that bad either, it's just all coagulated in one massive syrup ball that feels impossible to escape. I feel this also distracts from the narrative that the band is trying to convey.

There are pockets of brilliance in this album, and I do feel like this conceptual project is a pretty good overall listen if you're patient enough. I just can't help but be distracted by the inconsistency in pacing and structure. Oh, and "The Man who Married a Robot" is a terrible song. Instant skip every time it comes on.

"Getting an STD at 27 really isn't the vibe/"

I'm outside lookin' in But if your chance came would you take it?

This record gets it's right.
While not as explosive as their first record, it does offer up some excellent song craft, and a more focused approach that makes the record feel more complete and solid. "Mandy Fly Me" is prog pop perfection, with its many changing pieces, wonderful vocal harmonies and climactic apexes. The opening title track is an instrumental that leads into "Lazy Ways", a rather mellow first tune but one that really satisfies as you can picture yourself lazing away in a sunroom while listening. "I wanna Rule The World" is a bit more like their older material, and definitely the most zany song here. "Iceberg" was funky and a lot of fun to follow along to. I wasn't as into "art for art's sake" or the closing track "don't hang up". These songs left little impression on me and kinda felt undercooked. "Rock n Roll Lullabye" surprised me as I'm not too into Old School rock n roll parodies, but the production bolsters this track very well, and in the end I ended up liking it quite a bit. "Head room" is a very "subtle" innuendo about well... you can figure it out. It's very silly, but pretty much what you would come to expect by now.

Overall to sum it up, this album is good. It's not as exciting as their debut, but it shows the band coming together for one last hurrah of a record. Key members would leave the group after this one, which would kick off the band's mainstream era, and the steady decline in quality, as I've heard. I will be the judge of that. Either way, this album is good and one I would definitely check out.

You lay your bets and then you pay the price

Godley and Creme have left the building, and this album definitely feels like it.
The first two opening tracks are brilliant though. "Good Morning Judge" is sprightly opener with funky guitars and a surprisingly intricate instrumental, complete with the usual brand of snark from the band as you'd come to expect. The following song is their massive hit "The Things We Do For Love". A jaunty little ditty, with an instantly recognizable chorus that's sure to be stuck in your head for days.

Sadly the rest of the album drops off entirely. It's fine, more songs about mismatched relationships and bizarre scenarios, but the songs themselves feel unfinished and lazily thrown together. They end before they began and despite the formula for sticky tunes, it's hard to remember them at all. I've listened to his about 4 times now and I couldn't hum the melody to "honeymoon with B troop" if I had a gun to my head.

Strangely enough, the song about having a cold is actually one of the more memorable tunes after the first leg. It's a decent song but definitely felt like they ran out of ideas in the lyrics department. The final track actually ends Things on a strong note thankfully. "Feel The Benefit" is a prog rock song at it's heart, and they put all of their 10cc-ussy into this one to make it stand out and shine despite the filler that came before it, and for that I applaud them.

So yeah it's unfortunate but I can definitely see the downward spiral that's to come for this band from here. This was a decent effort and it's nice when it's on, but the glaringly obvious drawbacks to me are just a foreshadowing of what's to come.

A bit all over the place, but fine

Even compared to the original, this remix-album is quite everhwhere.

Just as eclectic as the music are the features: injury reserve, Craig Owens, Charli XCX, Kero Kero Bonito and Fall Out Boy to name a few. I would say out of all of the remixes only a couple surpass the original track. Ringtone with Charli and Kero Kero for example, is just as bright and poppy as the original, but with added verses and extra layers of bubblegum bliss to go on top. Charli's voice is also a welcome addition to the main chorus.

Hand Smashed by a Mallet is also a very good remix, with FOB and Craig Owens of Chiodos fame, it's probably the best thing that FOB has done in a while. Their respective styles work well together and the bit of post-hardcore edge that they bring to the track truly elevates it.

Overall, I wouldn't listen to this without having heard 1000 gecs first, even then not every remix hits. Some are fine and some just flat out don't work. Hit and Miss is exactly how I would describe it. If you need way more gecs in your life right now this is great supplemental material but honestly not a must-have in it's entirety.

Gecsgecsgecsgecsgecs

1000 gecs by 100 gecs is certainly not for everyone, and will most certainly be written off as a meme band or a bad joke that not many will see the merit in. I am here to try and offer my perspective on this music the best I can and why they should be taken seriously.

This project is fresh. Quite honestly, I've never heard anything quite like it. Stylistically it combines elements of bubblegum bass, pop-punk, ska, glitch, and sound collage among many others. All of the vocals are super processed, but less because of a crutch and more for effect. The album is also incredibly short, being able to be consumed in less than 25 minutes.

All of this adds up to a zany off the walls listening experience with bold sounds and inventive sonic creations.
Laura Les and Dylan Brady are basically geniuses in their craft.

The opening track 745 Sticky reads like a wacked out trap banger with a demented instrumental but catchy flows and bizarre lyrics, while the back half of the track shows off the left turns to expect sonically of this band. You get a blasted out breakdown with various sounds thrown in, it's quite humorous as well as hard which is a combo I greatly appreciate.

Money Machine is probably one of the catchiest tunes here, and an intro that will turn your head as it starts. It's got more of that blown out production and nice crunchy bass synths to back up the incredibly catchy main hook of this song.

Stupid Horse is a frikkin Ska track (complete with pickitups) about disrupting a horse betting race and running away with one of the steeds lmao. The funniest song here for sure. Ringtone is another great song with super cute and sentimental lyrics, and it's also probably the most radio friendly despite everything but even still, it's a great tune that fits nicely in the track list.

Gecgecgec is a meme song on the surface, but hidden underneath their maniacal production chops is a cute song about friendship and about being there for your friends even if they can't help as well as they want. This segues into what I think is this album's true hidden gem and that's the songwriting. The whole thing is easy to be distracted by with it's singles and crazy production, but underneath it all and especially on the deep cuts you have songs about some really touching topics and even show a lot of vulnerability in our songwriters thoughts and feelings. Sometimes it's covered up, sometimes it's on display (per 800db cloud) but it all adds up to something special.

The record sure as shit ain't gonna appeal to everybody, but the talent for thinking outside the box is there and for the open minded this record will either grow on you, or it might even win you over immediately. Either way, I do definitely recommend it for those needing something new. It's a lot of fun to come back to and it's short run time makes for easy repeated listens.

Okay so I like this album a lot, but it is definitely an interesting follow up to the first album.

First and foremost, there is quite a bit of an emphasis on alternative rock and pop-punk on this album. Lots of guitars, and guitar-like sounds, more straightforward and catchy structures and hooks, amid all the blasted out bit-crushed production and whacky embellishments. Lyrically this album is also kind of corny. On 1000 gecs, the silly lyrics were oftentimes offset by introspective and surprisingly deep lyrics as well, which for me gave it that hidden charm that eventually won me over. This album takes itself less seriously in comparison, which does take away from any kind of emotional impact it might have had.

That all being said, this one is just fun. The hooks are instantly catchy and memorable and the production is great actually. It's manic and hyper-pop enough without being too extreme in places. Dylan and Laura trade off vocals perfectly, these two really do make a great musical pair. Each song offers a new sound palette and aesthetic, while still maintaining the rock vein it starts off in.

The only true dud in the track list for me was "The Most Wanted Person in The United States". The tune is rather repetitive (even for this group) and the tune at the core of it just kind of sucks. Thankfully this song (as well as the majority of these songs) is pretty short so it's not like sticks around forever.

So yeah, I was kinda hoping this album would turn out good because I see great things for this duo going forward, and while I don't think the impact this album leaves will be as groundbreaking and scene-shattering as 1000 gecs, 10,000 gecs is a fun and wild trip that I will be happy to revisit in the future. I do hope that 100 gecs continues innovating and pushing their style further, and maybe hopefully for album 3 (if that happens) they will aim higher.

"I went to France to get some pants, went to Greece to find something to eat"~

You never have to change your socks

Okay. Wow.

So this record came out 14 years after the last one, which was The Earth Pressed Flat back in 1999. That album was quite dull and underwhelming, but this one makes that album feel like a party.

So I have no idea why this was even made? So sadly, Robert Buck would pass away in the year 2000 of liver disease, and so I can understand the band going on hiatus or even calling it quits after that. Well they came back for another with Mary Ramsey at the front. This time though John Lombardo isn't present, and Jeff Erikson has taken over guitar duties for this album cycle as a result.
Really the only thing making this a Maniacs record is drummer Jermoe Augustyniak, keyboardist Dennis Drew and bassist Steve Gustafson. Their contributions are hardly felt though as this music is as far removed from anything recognizable as a Maniacs album as it can be.

The songs are rather drab, and while there are a few upbeat songs that have that familiar jangle, they fall into the background as bookstore music at best. So much of the material here is boring and uninspired. The band doesn't even sound rejuvenated or excited to be making this music.
It truly begs the question: why?

Anyway, easy skip. Don't even really bother. Unless you wanna hear a 50-something year old woman sing about candy mountains and stuff.