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November 20, 2024


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Slightly Stoopid
Slightly Stoopid (Skunk Records)

By: Alex Steininger

From the same label that brought you the Sublime (which is currently climbing the charts with back to back to back hits on the radio), here comes SLIGHTLY STOOPID! A three-piece punk-rock band that adds some ska, reggae, and good old rock into the mix.

The CD starts off with "Righteous Man." It starts off with a nice bass line, and then some slight ska guitar comes into the mix. Then the song is thrust into full gear with the fast paced guitar, driving bass line, and the drummer working himself to the fullest. The only thing that seems out of place on this song is the vocals. Very annoying at this point, but then when the song slows down with some ska guitar the vocals are good. But the song picks up again, and the vocals just don't blend again. Very loud over the rest of the music, and quite funny sounding. Then "Operation," kicks in. A fast paced punk song with vocals that are decent. I think the last song just didn't mix well with the vocals in the fast moments. "Operation" has so much energy and intensity, this song should have been the one to kick off the album. The next track is a live version of "Hey Stoopid." A very ska tinted song, but then the guitar slowly turns into a punk sound and the song flies into full speed, but slows down again at the end. Track four, "Civil Oppression Dub," is reminiscent of some of Sublime's dub songs. This song is nicely done, and very interesting. "Anti-socialistic," kicks it off with a fast paced frenzy of punk rock guitar. The song itself, as the guitar roars all through it, is more of a pop-punk song which is greatly contributed by the vocals. What I mean by that is the vocals are clearly spoken in a moderate speed, will the background music is going at a medium tempo, so the whole song gives off a pop-punk feeling. Track eleven, "Wake Up Hate," is a ska tinted rock song with tremendous bass. "To A Party," finishes off the album of fourteen punk songs with a twist. "To A Party," starts off with soft guitar, but the drums kick it off. Now the song jumps into a nice reggae beat. This song can be relaxing, and then again it can make you want to get up and move to the music! The last five seconds of the CD also kick into a little rap bit, before the CD winds down. But wait! There is also a secret track, but your going to have to buy the CD to explore that.

Slightly Stoopid has a lot of maturing to do, but with Skunk Records help I'm sure they can do that. On some songs they sound like pros, and on others they flounder around a bit like amateurs. Add on to that the legacy of Sublime on their label, and the pressure starts to build. Can they fill Sublime's shoes? NO! But they can create their own shoes to fill with time and practice. I give this CD an B-. It has a lot of potential, but needs to be focused a little more.

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