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Tracklist |
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01 - THE INTRO
02 - SUPER SOUL MEETIN'
03 - AAH WEE
04 - NETTAI BOY
05 - WAH! WAH! BOOGIE WOOGIE
06 - A SHORT VACATION
07 - APRIL SESSIONS
08 - FEVER |
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Review |
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If you crossed Operation Ivy, The Minutemen, and Fugazi what would you get? The best punk rock band ever, right? Well, no actually, you'd get an instrumental lounge band to provide your dance party with the ultimate boogie soundtrack. Your Song Is Good's pedigree can be traced back to ska-punkers Fruity and Nuts & Milk, two classic bands who would eventually spawn spazz-core messiahs School Jackets. School Jackets' career was short-lived, but their members went on to start the first incarnation of Your Song Is Good, a Dischord-style emo band. Six years, three 7-inches, one EP, and one album later, Your Song Is Good has finally delivered their major label debut, Fever.
Fever begins with "The Intro," a sequel in spirit to ""2,4,6,6,1,64" Number" off of their self-titled album. In what has become a tradition on their records and at their live shows, keyboardist and frontman JxJx leads a rousing instrumental roll call, allowing each member of Your Song Is Good a moment in the spotlight. "Super Soul Meetin'," an uptempo bossa nova jam, follows. It may seem like a superfluous inclusion on Fever, granted that it was available in earlier forms on a 7-inch and on a compilation, but "Super Soul Meetin'" sets an energetic tone for the rest of the album. Though it clocks in at less than thirty minutes, Fever is definitely YSIG's most cohesive and enjoyable release yet.
Complimented by JxJx's scatting and a cascading horn hook, the swinging "Aah Wee" evokes the best memories of Super Mario Bros. 2's soundtrack (have videogame soundtracks really influenced my musical ear this much?). The mellow upbeat trot of "Wah! Wah! Boogie Woogie" does a bit of the same. The shouts of "hah hah" on "Nettai Boy" help keep the song flowing at a brisk pace, while the party chorus on "Fever" propels the song ahead into an unbeatable keyboard melody.
Fever's blend of ska, soul, bossa nova and swing is a giant leap away from the band's punk rock roots, but, in a way, we should know by now that these guys are capable of rocking on all musical fronts. Maybe it's about time that rock and roll fans realize that music isn't about being angry or sad, the political or the personal. Really, it's just about gettin' down! |
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