Gaylor, Bobby - Fuzzatonic Scream

Name: Bobby Gaylor
Album: Fuzzatonic Scream
Year: 2000
Style: Spoken Word, Stories
Similar Bands: Jim Carroll, Dennis Leary
"One-Word" Review: Wankery Stories set to acoustic jazz
Based Out Of: Boston, MA
Label: Atlantic, WEA,

Cover, Lyrics, Back, CD Tray

Liner Notes, Pics, CD, CD back

Fuzzatonic Scream (2000)

1. Suicide - 6:27 (single)
2. One Moment 4:17
3. Hit a Guy With My Car 5:52
4. Smelt 4:03
5. Tommy the Frog Killer 8:08
6. Animals 5:48
7. Out the Window 6:06
8. Masturbation 4:20
9. Business End of a Gun 9:19
10. Suicide (Non-Explicit Version) 5:21

Album Rating (1-10): 2.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Bobby Gaylor - Words & Music
• Marc Bonilla - Producer, Arrangement, Music, Instruments (California Transit Authority, Keith Emerson Band, John Debney, Kevin Gilbert, Thomas Lang, Eddie Jobson, James Newton Howard, 3rd Matinee, Glenn Hughes, Masahiro Andoh, Lyden Moon, Eric Westphal, Jordan Rudess, Steve Porcaro)
• Don C Tyler - Mastering
• Michael Scott - Music, Instruments (Jeff Scott Soto, Koobaatoo Asparagus / Oasis of the Zombies)
• Bob Birch - Bass
• Joii Goodman - Backing Vox
• Nick Casinelli - A&R
• Doug Buttleman - Mgmt
• Elliot Groffman - Legal
• Jeff Newton - Production Manager
• Richard Bates - Art Direction
• Martin Ogolter - Art Direction & Design
• Gregg Roth - Cover Photo
• Michael Tweed - Photos
• Christian Staehr - Photos

Unknown-ness: I've never heard of this artist, but the photos make him look like an aging hipster, possibly an old punk frontman going out solo. Kind of an Elvis Costello vibe if he were trying to start a career in the 00's. The goatee screams some sort of previous life in rockabilly or ska.

Album Review: This is a bunch of self-wankery stories that the listener may or may not be able to associate with. Not poetry, more story slam songs with a noticeable Boston accent. The music accompanying the songs is a little jazzy maybe, but mostly generic acoustic Dave Matthews-y. Suicide is in poor taste, as half the monologue is about taking your life, and the other is about what you'd miss. And I had to skip past Tommy the Frog Killer...but i can guess where it was going.

Gaylor is an all-around media arts guy, including actor and stand up who moved from Boston to LA for his writing gig for the TV show Rosanne. He also voiced Buford van Stomm & wrote for Disney Channel's Phineas & Ferb. 

Stand Out Track: 

Links:
Spotify
Wiki

Discogs

Allmusic
IMDB
Phineas & Ferb Wiki

Metacritic

Pop Matters

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 

It's Immaterial - Life's Hard And Then You Die

Artist: It's Immaterial

Album: Life's Hard And Then You Die

Year: 1987

Style: Spoken, Roots Rock, Experimental

Similar Bands: James, The Alarm, Borghesia

One Word Review: Discordant Jazz-Theaterical Dreams

Based Out Of: Liverpool, England

Label: A&M, Virgin Records

 Life's Hard And Then You Die - Cover, Record

 Life's Hard And Then You Die - Back, Record

Life's Hard And Then You Die - Notes

Life's Hard and Then You Die

1. Driving Away From Home (Jim's Tune) 4:12
2. Happy Talk 5:29
3. Rope 3:37
4. The Better Idea 5:42
5. Space 3:59 /
6. The Sweet Life 4:38
7. Festival Time 3:52
8. Ed's Funky Diner 3:05
9. Hang On Sleepy Town 4:02
10. Lullaby 6:21

Album Rating (1-10): 5.5

Members & Other Bands:
Dave Bascombe - Producer
Felix Kendall - Engineer
John Campbell - vox (Yachts, La Fiancee)
Jarvis Whitehead - instruments (Branda & the Beachballs)
Dave Bates - Producer
Ross Stapleton - A&R
Jerry Harrison - Keys (Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club)
Tarrant Bailey Jr
Roddy Lorimer
Steve Wickham
Brenda Kenny
Henry Preistman (Yachts)
Gillian Miller
Merran Laginestra - Vox
Red Ranch - Art Direction & Design
Charlie Rivel - Clown on Cover
Tansy Spinks - Photographic Treatment Cover
Alastair Thain - Band Photo
Jim Lieber - Harmonica

Unknown-ness: I've never heard of this band, but from the dark album title, nihilistic name, scratchy clown artwork and general font choices, I'd imagine this is a hardcore, thrash band.

Album Review: “Driving Away From Home (Jim's Tune)” is a haunted country landscape tune similar to the Alarm, full of bouncy bass, echoing vocals and harmonica. The vocals are sedately spoken for the verse, and mildly sung for the chorus. The dead- gong jumps out from the background, echoing off in the distance.

“Happy Talk” kicks off with a discordant couple of notes, and quietly, whispers into a rushed, yet muted tempo. It is poetic, like many songs from James albums Laid and Seven, and the vocals are very similar in sound & style to Tim Booth. There is an over all, wind-swept sound to these songs so far. The song is long and meandering, where it can really lose the listener.

“Rope” begins with a skipping synth drum loop, and the Tim Booth style theatrical vocals continue here, supported by piano bursts and a steady bass. The chorus is very dreamy, upbeat and catchy. It slowly transitions into a Celtic jig, thanks to the violin section. A chorus of vocals supports the lead in bold, deep bursts at the end.

“The Better Idea” starts off with a windy background, and slow wood block percussion. It slowly creeks awake, stuttering and going back and forth between singing and beat poetry. It is much more a work on aestetic art than a song

“Space” begins with some mild, repetitive jungle xylophone action, and cold synth. The vocals are like an instruction manual or encyclopedic entry about space. The chorus breaks out into a cold, dark wave song, there is a little Russian Cold wave aspect here.

“The Sweet Life” is another dream-like minimal song, with held, wavering notes, somewhat operatic.  There is a little optimism in the horns at first before they squawk discordantly. The applause at the end give further suggestion of a theatrical
“Festival Time” starts out with a vibe similar to the Ewok celebration at the end of Jedi. Adding in some tribal rhythms, and flutes, but it also has periods of avant guard jazz bursts. And the song fades out with one or two remaining instruments played

“Ed's Funky Diner” has a more straightforward funky melody, a beat-snapping post-apocalyptic dance with horns and a lot of energy, comparatively to the rest of the album.

“Hang On Sleepy Town” has a slow, quiet swaying swagger with acoustic guitar and violin. The vocals glide through, painting a sad, sullen image. The farmhouse instruments slowly grow in urgency.

“Lullaby” begins with twinkling bells, and unexpectedly fast tempo in bass and guitars for a lullaby. The song is actually driving, musically, as the vocals slowly glide overtop. The lyric “It’s a shame” repeats over in the chorus. The piano and bass have an urgent quality to them, although the overall song is not that pressing. The end of the song has actual lullaby lyrics over synth instrumentations that sound like an ominous heart monitor, which paints a sad picture of a prayer for comfort in a hospital room.

Stand Out Track: Rope

Links:
Wiki
Discogs
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pledge music drive (over)
allmusic
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