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Gym Class Heroes

The Papercut Chronicles (2005)
Decaydance

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Contributed by: Anchors
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Published on April 1st 2005

Living in upstate New York, I can be the very first person to tell you that I don’t reside in an area renowned for its hip-hop. Most up here would sooner send their life savings to Toby Keith than they’d listen to that newfangled rap music. Well, Fueled By Ramen, also a label not renowned for its hip-hop acts, have put out The Papercut Chronicles, the first full-length album from Geneva’s Gym Class Heroes. The followup on The Papercut EP, these 18 songs have built on what was laid down there, but has anything new truly been added?

The answer for the most part is an unfortunate no. Rather than relying on loops and samples, Gym Class Heroes use live instruments for their brand of hip-hop. It would be the assumption of most that this could give the album variety in its 18 songs that wouldn’t otherwise be there, but for some reason it doesn’t work out quite in its favor. The instrumentation tends to be fresh at first, but it drags on by the middle of the album because most of the guitar and percussion sounds identical to everything previous to it. There are times where the bassist lays down some tight grooves and everything else accents it, but more often than not it tends to just be lost in the background. They appear to be tight musicians, but just don’t show all the potential they have on this album. Regardless, the main focus is not on the musicians, but on the MC, Schleprock.

The sly man known as Schelprock handles all the MC duties on The Papercut Chronicles, with only one guest appearance being made by Fall Out Boy founder and bassist Pete Wentz on "Cupid’s Chokehold." Schleprock has a cunning, witty sense about him and it translates well into his rhymes. "Taxi Driver" is a veritable who’s who in popular underground music today, done in a style that would make any fan of mad libs grin from ear to ear. Everyone from Jimmy Eat World to Scraps And Heart Attacks gets a mention in the twisting storyline. While Schleprock’s wit is quite evident, his lack of energy on some tracks really do hurt the flow, as it can give the listener the distinct impression that GCH are doing nothing other than going through the motions. The album, at about an hour, just drags on too long at points, though towards the middle is where you’ll find the gem of The Papercut Chronicles: "Faces In The Hall," a story of a young boy facing his own homosexuality while facing scrutiny hatred from those around him;

Something was funny she could tell by his behavior / Or the way he flamboyantly shook his hand when he’d wave to her / She thought nothing of it and just shoved it in the closet / Until the day word dripped out like a leaky faucet / Alberto was homosexual, I ain’t got nothing against it / But little Ronny Johnston and all his football player friends did / They always kicked his ass and called him fag and such and such / But they couldn’t wait to get to gym so they could really bust him up / The gym teacher never cared, he just joined in on the action / Made silly judgments and compared him to Michael Jackson.”

It’s a really strong track, one that gives the listener something to think about. It almost seems a moot point however, because the only other track that stands out above the others is Schleprock’s freestyle, "We Just Freestylin’ Part 2." Schlep pulls some pretty crazy references out of nowhere, and it makes for a more interesting listen than a lot of the uninspired tracks found here.

After the extremely promising EP put out in January, this seems to be quite a letdown, considering the aspirations and expectations of lot of people held for it. It’s apparently going to take some time before another hip-hop group akin to the Roots can really make a dent in that sort of musical climate. There’s no true way to tell just what killed this release - maybe the length, the lack of energy...it’s entirely too hard to put a stamp on just why Gym Class Heroes regressed. It’s not to say this doesn’t make for an interesting listen at points; it’s just not the next stone on the path to a strong career for the foursome.

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4indie (September 20, 2006)

Hey everyone Gym Class Heroes are up for an mtvU woodie award this year. There are also a lot of other really good bands up for an award( Cartel, Angels and Airwaves, Muse, Panic! At the Disco, and the academy is) so vote here: woodies.mtvu.com

GYM CLASS HEROES ARE ALSO ON MTVU’S THE HOT SEAT: http://www.mtvu.com/music/the_hot_seat/

ABedForLiars (September 7, 2006)

This album is so much fun.

HeresLookinAtYou (June 24, 2006)

really great album
i agree some of it gets repetitive
but all in all , only a 5?
seems pretty undeserving
I give it an 8

Anonymous (March 30, 2006)

Gym Class heroes are my girlfreinds their the only one that i got gym class heroes are my girlfreinds even tho i never get a lot

Anonymous (January 29, 2006)

gym class heros are fucking genisus years ahead of their time when any of the faggots that post a comment saying other wise or any hating ass biach from this peice of shit " PUNK NEWS. ORG" write music half as good as GCH than you can think about opening your mouth but not before you put up with the bullshit that theyve been through
the struggle that they endured to get to were they are today
and all the shit they get from assholes such as your selves
then you can speak your mind

ps
you wanna yawn at something
reread you lack of respect
bullshitted ass negative " wishing you were half of what gym class heroes is"
straight hating comment bunch a' hypocrites

Anonymous (January 24, 2006)

OK most of you faggots are dumbasses GHC is a hip hop / Rock genre of music. Its not considerd much of punk so i dk why its on this website in the first place. anywyas, although i love GHC i hope it never goes wide spread Its an uncorrupted band so far and i would hope that there fame stays minimal. Unless of course you want 11 year old kids at there concerts and Faggots singing the lyrics of Cupids Chokehold at school I suggest this band stay on the downlow or there next appearance will be on Teen Magazine.

Anonymous (January 7, 2006)

GCH rocks

Anonymous (April 26, 2005)

omg, i heart gym class heroes

Anonymous (April 17, 2005)

Gym class heroes are awesome!!!!!

go out and support the music***

Anonymous (April 17, 2005)

What the fuck are all you HICKS doing on this site anyways....If you dont appreciate GYM CLASS HEROES then you obvously wouldnt know a good band if it fucked you up the ass...If you havent been to one of thier concerts you dont know what your talking about...HOLLA BACK "PUNKS" (.)(.)

Anonymous (April 8, 2005)

WTF is up w/ all of you. And why are we talking about country here. this band is awesome and i think evryone shuld like it... don't worry about nething, like the label, or who they are. just listen to the music. stop letting evry1 elses opinion rule what u listen to.

Anonymous (April 6, 2005)

*yawn*

(my reaction to this album)

Anonymous (April 4, 2005)

country you hear on the radio is mostly like the good charlottes of country.

good country is eight thousand times better than shit like this. utter slop and you're all pigs going to the troughs.

Anonymous (April 3, 2005)

music like this makes everlast look good.

Anonymous (April 3, 2005)

The vocalist is really tall.

ubershep (April 3, 2005)

"You know, country music on the whole is pretty bad but it really just doesn't get any worse than Toby Keith. The world, not to mention the music industry, could use one less ignorant Southern hick with his tongue in Bush Jr.'s ass."

Country music is not all that bad, what's bad is the general notion that has been put into our minds by radio. None of those bands are country just pop. Country is a fantastic genre, just has a band name due to homogenization.

Anonymous (April 3, 2005)

She thinks my Tractors SEXY

Jesse (April 3, 2005)

Epitaph is bascially a major label. If you look at all the imprints they have, they have the diversity of Warner Bros. or EMI. Rhymesayers has been it's own record label for years, and the fact that it now basically has backing from an actual label doesn't really change a thing. Fueled By Ramen is a bullshit indie/emo fiasco. The fact that they signed to Fueled By Ramen just means that they wanted to capitalize on the whole "it's cool to like rap as long as it's emo-rap" wave. On the other hand, Heiruspecs is a band that is generally is profiting from this trend as well, but not on purpose. They signed to Razor & Tie, a semi-major label that's responsible for all those terrible Kidz Bop releases. When they reference another musical group, is RUN-DMC or something else, not a bullshit string of indie/emo bands. That fucking song is just like saying "hey, it's okay to like us, because we're down with the emo."

Fuck this band.

Rawls_with_Balls (April 3, 2005)

You know, country music on the whole is pretty bad but it really just doesn't get any worse than Toby Keith. The world, not to mention the music industry, could use one less ignorant Southern hick with his tongue in Bush Jr.'s ass.

ubershep (April 3, 2005)

"Score is for great country music like Alan Jackson and Toby Keith. Fuck punk."

Toby Keith sucks ass, he has nothing on Bob Wills.

Anonymous (April 3, 2005)

Why are they touring with Streetlight Manifesto? How in the hell does ska and hip-hop mix? Sad day for SM.

Anonymous (April 3, 2005)

"What about the whole epitaph invasion on Rhyme Sayers? How is that any different than GCH on FBR? "

...its totally different. Rhymesayers isn't a band, its a co-licensing/distribution deal.

wyzo

CellarDoor (April 2, 2005)

The score's for Beanie Sigel's B Coming.

I'm still afloat/ I ain't the captain of the yacht but I'm on the boat/
I ain't acting what I'm not/ Knowing that I don't/ You niggas acting like you will/ But I know you won't//

Real talk.

Anonymous (April 2, 2005)

Posted by Jesse on 2005-04-02 09:59:47

"Fuck this band. No self-respecting hip-hop group would sign to Fueled By Ramen. This all belongs under the same category as MC Lars or Mel Gibson and the Pants, i.e. safe rap music for white people."

Dude, that's such a bullshit comment. What about the whole epitaph invasion on Rhyme Sayers? How is that any different than GCH on FBR? You are so underground that it hurts.

Anonymous (April 2, 2005)

Score is for great country music like Alan Jackson and Toby Keith. Fuck punk.

Way down yonder on the chattahoochee
It gets hotter than a hoochie coochie
We laid rubber on the georgie asphalt
We got a little crazy but we never got caught

Down by the river on a friday night
A pyramid of cans in the pale moonlight
Talking ’bout cars and dreaming ’bout women
Never had a plan just a livin’ for the minute
Yeah way down yonder on the chattahoochee
Never knew how much that muddy water meant to me
But I learned how to swim and I learned who I was
A lot about livin’ and a litttle ’bout love

Well we fooged up the windows in my old chevy
I was willing but she wasn’t ready
So a settled for a burger and a grape sno-cone
Dropped her off early but I didn’t go home

Down by the river on a friday night
A pyramid of cans in the pale moonlight
Talking ’bout cars and dreaming ’bout women
Never had a plan just a livin’ for the minute
Yeah way down yonder on the chattahoochee
Never knew how much that muddy water meant to me
But I learned how to swim and I learned who I was
A lot about livin’ and a litttle ’bout love

Anonymous (April 2, 2005)

2005 is lookin to be a great year for underground hip hop.. one be lo earlier, now blueprint. i don't think it can get much better.

Jesse (April 2, 2005)

Fuck this band. No self-respecting hip-hop group would sign to Fueled By Ramen. This all belongs under the same category as MC Lars or Mel Gibson and the Pants, i.e. safe rap music for white people.

Anchors (April 1, 2005)

Tobey Keith is a plague. More in upstate than anywhere. Man, upstate blows. We've got... a casino. Yep, that about sums it up.

I don't have that Rush problem in bars, but then again, I go to bars in a college town so we get lots of Fat Joe and Jay-Z.

adamfromohio (April 1, 2005)

wow. the guy who said this record sounds like crazy town is dead fucking on....im so glad to know im not the only one who heard that bullshit when i heard this record.

shifty shellshock

-adamfromohio

Anonymous (April 1, 2005)

i had no idea this was a rap group.

i need negative numbers now.

Just on the song titles, band name, graphics, lyrics, I thought it was gonna be a bad pop-punk emo group.

Rap done this silly is phenomenal.

i hadn't even thought of this development.

stevejonestherealbones (April 1, 2005)

seems pretty gay

- jones the bones

- stevejones8770@yahoo.com

Anonymous (April 1, 2005)

score's for TOBY KEITH. I should have been a cowboy! should have learned to rope and ride!

We'll put a boot in your ass, it's the american way!

iheartadam (April 1, 2005)

Being from upstate New York, you should all be telling me what exactly I-Farm has been up to lately.

Anonymous (April 1, 2005)

besides toby keith, upstate new york really digs RUSH. go to any bar and your pretty much guaranteed to hear one of their songs

Anonymous (April 1, 2005)

"OK, there's no excuse for this. The new Blueprint came out this week, there's no reason anyone should be listening to anything other than that."

blueprint came out on 3/29, and i bought it used for $5 on 3/30. it's pretty good, but not deserving of all the hype it's getting.

ElVaquero (April 1, 2005)

OK, there's no excuse for this. The new Blueprint came out this week, there's no reason anyone should be listening to anything other than that.

Anonymous (April 1, 2005)

jump ship while it's still above water

Inspection12e (April 1, 2005)

Terrible band

Anonymous (April 1, 2005)

Fall Out Boy founder and bassist Pete Wentz on "Cupid’s Chokehold."

- I'm pretty sure it was FOB singer/guitarist Patrick Stump that appeared in that track and it was Pete Wentz who actually signed them to his Decaydence imprint.

Anonymous (April 1, 2005)

This group reminds me of Crazytown.

Come come my lady, you're my butterfly... sugar baby.

Anonymous (April 1, 2005)

being from upstate ny, you'd think i'd have heard of them.

but i haven't.

Anonymous (April 1, 2005)

Being from upstate new york, and this album's reviewer you should have known that GCH's first full length was called "...For the Kids." Hel, he even mentions their previus album in the song "Pillmatic"