Ahoy there! As we all know, May 8th (or "Matey 8th") is National Pirate Day in this fine country. Unfortunately, the holiday comes but once a year, thus a sizeable fraction of Decapolis' audience is often tragically overlooked for the other 364 days. Therefore, in the spirit of the season, the following review has been written with our swashbuckling readership in mind. Let's start off with a few fun facts...
Facts about Pirates (based mostly on folklore and unconfirmed word of mouth)
1. Pirates hate ninjas.
2. Pirates love metal.
3. Pirates do what they want, when they want.
4. Pirates like to get down and dirty on the dance-floor.
5. Pirates don't buy CD's -- they plunder them.
6. Pirates are sweet.
Facts about Spymob (based on actual fact)
1. Spymob was the backing band on N.E.R.D.'s much acclaimed In Search Of... album.
2. Spymob is a Minnesota band. (woooh)
3. Spymob is not metal.
4. Spymob plays piano-driven pop songs.
5. Spymob sounds a lot like Fastball and Blinker the Star.
6. Spymob have a fairly solid debut album here.
Now if you're a pirate, many glaring red flags have undoubtedly popped up already. The average pirate reader is probably thinking, "Arrgh!! Piano-driven pop songs? NOT metal? Blimey!! What kind of bluejacket bilgewater are you trying to feed me? I've never even heard of Farrstball or Blinker the Starrgh, and N.E.R.D. sounds like a good-fer-nothin' swab name if ever me heard one. Yarrr!!" Whoa there pirates. Chill waaay out! You do like getting down and dirty on the dance-floor, don't you? Well these guys may not be as aggressive or hard-hitting as Metallica, but their songs are soulful and catchy, and nearly every track boasts a bouncy, danceable beat.
The decision of whether or not to become a pirate, which we all must face at some point in our lives, carries with it several potentially unpleasant consequences. The life of a pirate, though extremely sweet, is one of alienation, loneliness and monotony. When a pirate plunders an album, it is important that they choose one with very little repetition. After all, it could be months before their vessel crosses paths with another unfortunate victim, and in the meantime, listening to music with very little variation could end up being as unpleasant as a bad bout of scurvy on those long nights at sea.
In this sense, Spymob's debut may not be a pirate's first choice of booty. Though the songs are all extremely well produced and skillfully played, many of Sitting Around Keeping Score's tracks just aren't that diverse, and as a result, become indistinguishable from one to the next. A few of the songs may stand on their own well enough (i.e., "2040", "It Gets Me Going", "On Pilot Mountain"), but the album as a whole is somewhat forgettable.
Here's the bottom line for all you pirates out there... Though you might feel the urge to shake your peg legs to a few of these songs, Sitting Around Keeping Score is probably not for you. And as far as the rest of us land-dwellers go, the album is decent at best. Spymob has a fairly promising debut on their hands, and if you already love Fastball, Blinker the Star and maybe even Steely Dan, then you might also love this. If not, then it probably isn't worth your time. If ye catch me drift. Yarrr!!
P.S. From all of your friends here at Decapolis, we hope that your National Pirate Day 2004 was a safe, happy and productive one.
2.5/4
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