Track Listing
1. Get 'em outta here 2. Greta 3. White trash 4. Super breakdown 5. Hard times 6. Mr. Funny face 7. JoJo 8. Tired 9. Going for the angry 10. Naked 11. Dead 12. In spite of it all 13. He aloha mele Year: 1999 Label: Hollywood - Official Site |
Sprung Monkey - 'Mr. Funny face' - By S. Regan
The summer Sun, surfer dudes and beautiful blonde babes. That�s the philosophy and the inspirational driving force of San Diego�s own Sprung Monkey. These boys have earned themselves a reputation creating music that�s all about good times and extreme sports. Sprung Monkey have made their presence felt on many a teen summertime movie, such as their hit "Get 'Em Out of Here," which made the top ten Alternative list and became at hit for the film "Ten Things I Hate About You." On this, their third full-length release, The Monkey blend their classic feel-good melodic alt rock with a certain array of new experimental sounds. Some of the tracks on this record come across as very contradictory to the Sprung Monkey sound. Now, whereas progression and experimentation are very important to a bands evolution, these tracks do certainly stand apart. For example, the utterly forgettable title track seems to go for a more "dark" sound which just seems to detract from the album�s sound and how the band really sounds. However, the band soon redeem themselves with get up and go tracks like "Greta," "White Trash," "Hard Times," and fantastic bouncy "Going for the Angry." There�s no gimmick here, no secret recipe - just pure, feel good music. The epic-like �In Spite of it all� provides a great example of Sprung Monkey�s ability to create a ballad that�s yet still upbeat and incredibly infectious! The fantastically tongue-in-cheek risqu� lyrical offerings of JoJo actually boasts, in places, a much heavier guitar riff than the rest of the album and has �crowd sing-a-long pleaser� written all over it with a sudden slow interlude that showcases the perfectly tailor made for crowd sing-along lyrics: �But now she's growing up She's about to taste the world Well sink or swim my friend Just spit out as much as you swallow� The wonderfully laid back album closer in the form of �He Aloha Mele� provides a beautiful way to end this album. This album isn�t about breaking any boundaries or creating any blistering dual-guitar onslaughts, it�s simply up-beat fun living Californian surf/skate music. So if you�re the type of �Metal Obsessive� that shudders at the sight of a melody that doesn�t involve raspy chanting or much to the same, or becomes wheezy at the mere mention of the words �Feel good music�, then this album is perhaps not for you. If, however, much like me, you often find yourself feeling like something upbeat and happy without having to dust off and slyly and shamefully break out those Bon Jovi albums, then this is an album for you! And for the record, it makes fantastic summetime, all windows down, driving music! Metal Obsessive Grade: 90% |