SOIHADTOSHOOTHIM Alpha Males and Popular Girls
Crucial Blast Records CBR48 November 8th, 2005
By Jason Jordan
Seems like Blondie, Napalm Death, Melt Banana, and Genghis Tron (labelmates) keep getting thrown around in reference to SOIHADTOSHOOTHIMs sound, and rather than interject my own opinions regarding similar artists, I'm going to stick with what Ive been given. Trying to pinpoint an exact match for this five-piece is nearly impossible, and the more I listen to Alpha Males and Popular Girls the more Im convinced that it cant be done. At least, I dont want to be the one to try. Still, these guys and a girl are about as spastic and energized as anything Ive heard, plus anyone who has the audacity to unite so many disparities into one fucked-up whole has my endorsement just on principle.
Sadly, Alpha Males and Popular Girls is more intriguing than it is flooring. That is, it didnt really fulfill the ever-present need that a fantastic slab of music often can, but I honestly felt enriched after leaving the forty-minute disc alone to twirl in its own craziness. As if you couldnt decipher from the descriptions above, there are about 380920393 styles of music (seriously: I counted) converging here. Whereas the first couple minutes of the opening number People Hugging and Football is filled with dissonance and punctuated with the vocalists wails, the song is truly heightened at the 2:15 minute mark when the grooves hit. Damn. Cadavertising commences with an unmistakable Genghis Tron feel, while John Cleese and the Fountain of Youth jumps headfirst into synth-heavy, poppy emo. The cleverly-titled King Diamond in the Rough throws a wrench into the machine thats controlling the tempo, as the aforesaid is predominantly slow and doomy. The remainder of the album is as varied as anything Ive mentioned, and the closer is surprisingly coherent at least when held up against the psychotic compositions leading up to it.
Its not enough to listen to just one clip of SOIHADTOSHOOTHIM; theres so much more hiding within the folds of Alpha Males and Popular Girls. While I can distribute props to the quintet for their adventurous natures and ability to act upon them, I cannot however give the record a definitive thumbs up as far as purchasing is concerned. SOIHADTOSHOOTHIM are, perhaps, crafting the sort of eclecticism that Crucial Blast Records are known for, but its not yet quite up to speed with what other groups (The Mass, Totimoshi, Genghis Tron) have been penning recently. This is undoubtedly interesting and chock full of humor, though, and Crucial Blast is a fine company. Even if I dont necessarily find some of their output to be essential, I am always stupefied by its uniqueness.
7.5/10
Official Crucial Blast Records Website
Crucial Blast Records CBR48 November 8th, 2005
By Jason Jordan
Seems like Blondie, Napalm Death, Melt Banana, and Genghis Tron (labelmates) keep getting thrown around in reference to SOIHADTOSHOOTHIMs sound, and rather than interject my own opinions regarding similar artists, I'm going to stick with what Ive been given. Trying to pinpoint an exact match for this five-piece is nearly impossible, and the more I listen to Alpha Males and Popular Girls the more Im convinced that it cant be done. At least, I dont want to be the one to try. Still, these guys and a girl are about as spastic and energized as anything Ive heard, plus anyone who has the audacity to unite so many disparities into one fucked-up whole has my endorsement just on principle.
Sadly, Alpha Males and Popular Girls is more intriguing than it is flooring. That is, it didnt really fulfill the ever-present need that a fantastic slab of music often can, but I honestly felt enriched after leaving the forty-minute disc alone to twirl in its own craziness. As if you couldnt decipher from the descriptions above, there are about 380920393 styles of music (seriously: I counted) converging here. Whereas the first couple minutes of the opening number People Hugging and Football is filled with dissonance and punctuated with the vocalists wails, the song is truly heightened at the 2:15 minute mark when the grooves hit. Damn. Cadavertising commences with an unmistakable Genghis Tron feel, while John Cleese and the Fountain of Youth jumps headfirst into synth-heavy, poppy emo. The cleverly-titled King Diamond in the Rough throws a wrench into the machine thats controlling the tempo, as the aforesaid is predominantly slow and doomy. The remainder of the album is as varied as anything Ive mentioned, and the closer is surprisingly coherent at least when held up against the psychotic compositions leading up to it.
Its not enough to listen to just one clip of SOIHADTOSHOOTHIM; theres so much more hiding within the folds of Alpha Males and Popular Girls. While I can distribute props to the quintet for their adventurous natures and ability to act upon them, I cannot however give the record a definitive thumbs up as far as purchasing is concerned. SOIHADTOSHOOTHIM are, perhaps, crafting the sort of eclecticism that Crucial Blast Records are known for, but its not yet quite up to speed with what other groups (The Mass, Totimoshi, Genghis Tron) have been penning recently. This is undoubtedly interesting and chock full of humor, though, and Crucial Blast is a fine company. Even if I dont necessarily find some of their output to be essential, I am always stupefied by its uniqueness.
7.5/10
Official Crucial Blast Records Website
