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Rahim's first EP was, well, good. Not memorable, or interesting. Ya know? Good. Listenable. Something to put on and say, "Yeah, I like Gang of Four and Q and Not U as well." Leaps and bounds, this one has taken! Bounds and leaps! That's probably how someone else would describe the transition between records, but to me, adding bongos, a Les Savy Fav drum beat and mariachi horns is more akin to, oh, I'd say Tolkien spending extra time writing fanciful verses for the songs that his hobbits sing. Does it really affect the story or the overall structure? No. Does it add lots of much needed color that can be ignored if felt like? Yes. What's really setting this album apart is the melodies and harmonies.

New to this record are sustained guitar/bass chords that layer over each other, adding dimension to the eversopopular angular riffs. The opener, "KlangKlangKlan," features these sparingly, but yet again, it's the dash of paprika that really makes a fried egg sammitch. Just kidding. I hate eggs.

Texturizing! Manipulating your instruments to make that helicopter "whikkawhikkawhikka" muting! The spice for track two, "Something from an Amputee." See also: spare drum hits that really mean it. Using sparse prose to get the point across. The Hemingway of the first two tracks. Goes great with a side of jelly on toast. Just $3.95. And the Phil Spector bells/harmonics layering!

Pleasantries on this album also include the pleasant, upbeat, summery vocal harmonies and key melodies of "Forever Love," the ongoing drone of "Desire," the spacey, breathy, minute-long "Satisfy," and the dynamics of "In the Kitchen." New layers to cover up the old!

That is to say, this album isn't without clunkers, har har, since the astute rhythms of this album are, uh, clunky to begin with. Ain't that the point of the so called by us ever so vigilant "angular" genre? Isn't it supposed to be disjointed and sparse? Well, er, yes. But too much angularness, or too less noises to pull me through an album can lose my interest. Doerser that makes this a baaaaad album? Iono, but at least I know that I ain't gonna be listening to it for toooo much longer before I have to cut down and find something else to pollute my earwaves with.

Finish this review yourself:

I really _______ this album!
a) like
b) really like
c) love
d) hate

Rahim shows _______ .
a) improvement.
b) us how to have a good time.
c) houses to potential buyers on the weekends.
d) us that not only are bells viable on a "punk" record, but so are guitars, basses and drums!

I would totally ________ .
a) use this as a firecracker.
b) that previous answer doesn't make sense, I think he meant, blow it up with a firecracker.
c) yeah, b) makes sense.

Ta-da! Now do your homework.



People who liked this also liked:
Aloha - Light WorksOf Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?The Brokedowns - These Colors Don't Run (The Musical)Joe Lally - There to HereThe Shins - Wincing the Night AwayThoughts of Ionesco - The Scar Is Our Watermark [CD/DVD]31 Knots - The Days and Nights of Everything AnywhereBlonde Redhead - 23Vampire Weekend - Vampire WeekendCat Power - Jukebox



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    Posted by SilentStorms on 2006-07-27 00:21:54

    Yeah Jesse's reviews have become ... angular perhaps?

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 at 2:14 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Fucking sweet, I have no idea what this band sounds like, even after reading this shitfest of a review.

    -opivy

    Posted by Jesse on 2006-07-26 00:20:21

    Okay, manipulating was spelled wrong. Brian should have caught that.

    The other two? Say 'em out loud, then tell me if they're spelled wrong.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 at 7:44 PM (EDT)

    rakim is fucking awesome!

    oh wait...

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 at 7:07 PM (EDT)

    Follow-up on the spell check thing:

    "Maniupating your instruments to make that helicopter "whikkawhikkawhikka" muting! The spice for track two, "Something from an Amputee." See also: spare drum hits that really mean it. Using sparse prose to get the point across. The Hemingway of the first two tracks. Goes great with a side of jelly on toast. Just $3.95. And the Phil Spector bells/harmonics layering!"

    (And what is this paragraph even about?! Phil Spector? Did you listen to the album?! God damn!)

    "Ain't that the point of the so called by us ever so vigilant "angular" genre?"

    (Whaaaaaat?)

    "Doerser that makes this a baaaaad album? Iono, but at least I know that I ain't gonna be listening to it for toooo much longer before I have to cut down and find something else to pollute my earwaves with."

    ----
    P.S. Just use spell check next time; and listen to the album first. Maybe a few times. And if there is a grammar check, get that rolling, too.

    Posted by DenBez on 2006-07-25 11:24:04

    God damn, that's a hot review. If only I had any desire to check out the band.

    Posted by sirens on 2006-07-25 11:15:50

    become*

    Posted by sirens on 2006-07-25 11:15:40

    Jesse, your reviews have because peculiar. Still awesome none the less.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 at 10:20 AM (EDT)

    This is absolutely, positively the worst review I've ever read. People who don't have over a kindergarten reading/writing level should not be allowed to write reviews.

    Posted by Jesse on 2006-07-25 10:04:22

    Good choice. You win a donut.

    Posted by kirbypuckett on 2006-07-25 09:42:39

    I choose C for question number 2.

    - Kirby

    Posted by LosPeptobismol on 2006-07-25 08:02:07

    >>>there are other ways to describe a bands sound without comparison or unneccesary mention of others.

    Not really. I'd rather read a review that describes a band's place in musical society than some tedious, pseudo-literary Pitchfork shitfest.

    I can't comment on this review though 'cause I didn't read it. I absentmindedly clicked on it 'cause I thought it said Rakim.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 at 6:39 AM (EDT)

    i stopped after the third band name drop.

    there are other ways to describe a bands sound without comparison or unneccesary mention of others.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 at 6:35 AM (EDT)

    review? bad review.

    band?...i dont know..bad maybe.

    Posted by sickboi on 2006-07-25 02:12:21

    I thought it said "Rakim" at first, bummer.

    Posted by Jesse on 2006-07-25 01:46:06

    Yeah, I'd like to know what you think is misspelled.

    Posted by inagreendase on 2006-07-25 01:44:33

    Motherfucking spell check, pal.

    I'm fairly sure every word in this review was intentionally spelled the way you're reading it.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 at 1:38 AM (EDT)

    Motherfucking spell check, pal.

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