Left Handed Boy - Curse of the Left Handed Boy

Name: Left Handed Boy
Album: Curse of the Left Handed Boy
Year: 2006
Style: Dark Rap/Hip Hop
Similar Bands: Judgement Night soundtrack, Gorillaz
"One-Word" Review: Audio Anti-Hero Hip Hop Graphic Novel
Based Out Of: Philadelphia, PA / Mount Holly NJ
Label: Akhenation Music, Cult Member Music

Cover, Comic pg 1,12

CD, Sticker, Flyer, Back, CD Back, Comic pg 2-3

Comic pg 4-5, Sticker

Comic pg 6-7

Comic pg 8-9

Comic pg 10-11

Curse of the Left Handed Boy (2006)

1. Intro 1:12
2. 10th & Arch 3:04
3. Chapter 2 1:14
4. Facefirst 2:55
5. Bio 3:58
6. Picture Perfect 1:28
7. Write to Left 2:39
8. That Arm 3:18
9. Bloody Attitude 4:06
10. Perfect Picture 1:17
11. Art 3:54
12. Kiss the Order 2:40
13. Flatlands 1:28
14. Latest Dish 4:09
15. Family Dinner 4:44

Album Rating (1-10): 6.5

Members & Other Bands:

• Daniel Elish - Artwork, Pamphlet Words & Pictures
• Carl Kavorkian - Producer, Vox  (MF Doom)
• Colin "Coligreens" Ryan - Producer
• Jimmy Greek - Vox
• Rummage - Vox, Producer

Unknown-ness: Never heard of the band... The version i picked up in a dollar bin had some band stickers, a flyer for the band and an interesting comic book about a discarded boy growing up with a deformed, giant left hand. So, for the music, i'm guessing it is dark and emo...with all black and white artwork, i don't imagine it being upbeat emo...perhaps more sludgy and heavy. The album has long & short songs, so perhaps it is laid out like a graphic novel, with some tracks containing dialogue, telling a conceptual story, sort of like Life Of Agony's River Runs Red.

Album Review: There are different sources for the "band name." Searching by the album title, which i first thought was the name, Jam Faction came up as a possible name (spotify), but it is also listed as a copyright / imprint label. The album is on Jimmy Greek's bandcamp page under the band name Left Handed Boy, so that's a more accurate source. The record is mixed genre hip-hop. There are dark tendencies on the album filled with a complex, artistic anger. All along, the record threads the storyline of born different, being berated by father, and having to fight, through the anecdote of being left handed. However, nothing comes off as aggressive: it just flows, telling a story musically and lyrically in a head nodding, interesting fashion, mixing in dialogue/monologues over the music to embellish the graphic novel aspect of the record: like a comic book version of an audiobook.

The group Left Handed Boy / Jam Faction is a collective headed off by Jimmy Greek, and associates Rummage, Coligreens and Carl Kavorkian, who has also worked with MF Doom. The members are based in Philly (10th & Arch was the address of The Trocadero) and Mount Holly, as explained on the album. 

Stand Out Track: Kiss the Order

Links:

Discogs

Exclaim!
Soundcloud
Rate Your Music
Kavorkian bandcamp
Bringing Down the Band
Jimmy Greek & COTLHB Bandcamp