Get Rec'd Round 4
Mother's Cake, Boris, Dag Nasty, Cap'n Jazz, Kevin Kaarl
I had so much fun listening to your recommendations that I decided to review all of them. Please bear in mind that I’m not familiar with many of the artists and musical styles I’m reviewing, and therefore my opinions are often misinformed and therefore don’t matter.
Mother’s Cake - Cyberfunk! (2020)
Ooh, riffage right off the bat. I’ll never say no to a bigass riff. It’s refreshing to hear a modern rock record that emphasizes the rock aspect of their music. Yeah I know that’s an old guy take, but modern rock, especially radio rock, has been lacking in terms of pure rocking out. This is a cool blend of prog, glam, and dare I say a little bit of stoner rock? I’m hearing some Sabbath riffs here.
A few of the tracks on here, like “Crystals in the Sky” are flirting with dad rock territory, but I’m not mad about it. “I’m Your President” could be a Mars Volta song. Some really excellent bass work on that track. This is a surprisingly diverse record, with a good mix of riotous jams and slower tracks. I don’t mind this style, but it does wear out its welcome a bit by the end.
Best track: “I’m Your President”
Boris - Feedbacker (2003)
Man, this one was a rollercoaster ride. Boris is one of those names I’ve seen a million times but never sat down to give them a proper listen. I was a bit concerned following the opening track that this album might be boring. I’m glad to be proven wrong.
I don’t have any particular aversion to big loud downtuned riffage, but I do prefer music that has at least a little bit of movement to it. For most of the opening track it seems like the band members are competing with each other to see who can hold a chord the longest.
Things pick up a bit on Pt. 2, with some excellent guitar noodling, while the aforementioned riffage continues unabated in the background. Vocals make their first appearance as well. I appreciate how lo-fi the vocals sound here.
And then everything just EXPLODES. Pt 3 and 4 are ear-splittingly heavy. The music absolutely lives up to the album title. Yeah, this is a good one. I bet this sounds nuts in a live setting.
Best track: Feedbacker, Pt. 3
Dag Nasty - Can I Say (1984)
I’m a bit ashamed to admit that I have a huge blind spot regarding 80s hardcore punk. It’s never too late to remedy that, though, and I’m glad somebody recommended this.
This is surprisingly heavy, with some excellent guitar shredding. The heaviness is nicely balanced by catchy riffs. This sounds a lot more modern than a lot of other releases from this era. “Circles” is a standout, with some really infectious drumming and great vocal melodies.
This is considered one of the early “emo” albums, and while that term is generally used loosely, I can hear it. There’s a pretty clear line from this album to bands like Jawbreaker, Lifetime, Saves the Day, all the way through to more recent acts like Title Fight. This feels like it was ahead of its time.
Best track: Circles
Cap’n Jazz - Analphabetapolothology (1998)
I have to admit, I’ve kind of been dreading listening to this one. For multiple reasons. The first being the shame that I feel for being unfamiliar with such a widely influential album in a genre that I generally enjoy. The second reason is that if I don’t like this album every middle-aged emo kid within 100 miles will shed a single tear, and I just can’t have that on my conscience. And third, there are 34 tracks. That’s too many!
What immediately stands out is that while this is technically a second-wave emo album, it sounds a LOT like so many of the fourth-wave bands. Time is a circle. The shouted off-key vocals and jangly guitars are on-brand for the genre. There is an aggression to these tracks that I wasn’t expecting, which I appreciate. It’s raw, but the minimal production is fitting.
It’s kind of incredible that these songs were written in the mid-90s. It’s no surprise that so many 21st-century bands are still trying to copy this sound. This is pretty rough around the edges overall, but it’s hard to deny that they set the template with this one.
Best track: Basil’s Kite
Kevin Kaarl - Paris Texas (2022)
I took three years of Spanish in high school, so I feel that I am more than qualified to share my opinions on a modern Mexican indie folk album. You don’t need to know exactly what Kevin is singing about here, because this album has vibes. The minimalist arrangements are gorgeous, often pairing guitars with simple horns or subtle synths. “te quiero tanto” nearly brought me to tears on the first listen. I love the raspy baritone vocals. Pretty incredible that this guy is only 23 years old.
Best track: te quiero tanto