Track List:
01 - 1st Period: The Queen And I
02 - 2nd Period: Shoot Down The Stars
03 - 3rd Period: New Friend Request
04 - 4th Period: Clothes Off!
05 - Lunch: Sloppy Love Jingle Pt. 1
06 - 6th Period: Viva La White Girl
07 - 7th Period: 7 Weeks
08 - 8th Period: It’s OK, But Just This Once!
09 - Study Hall: Sloppy Love Jingle Pt. 2
10 - 10th Period: Biters Block
11 - Yearbook Club: Boys In Bands Interlude
12 - 12th Period: Scandalous Scholastics
13 - 13th Period: On My Own (Write On!)
14 - Detention: Sloppy Love Jingle Pt. 3
15 - Produced by: Sam Hollander and Patrick Stump
Four-man Geneva, New York based indie hip-hop/rock group Gym Class Heroes who made a name for themselves in the rock/punk scene are back with their new album “As Cruel As School Children” marking the group’s second release and this time around they have taken a more hip-hop heavy approach.
If you typically listen to gangsta rap, it is mostly likely you wouldn’t give Gym Class Heroes a second glance, but if you appreciate a wider variety of music this clever blend of hip-hop, rock and punk with hints from other genres may just appeal to you.
The album can be a little dull and while it will most likely not have a great deal of replay value, the first few rotations are quite good. The clever and witty lyrics can be quite appealing, but will soon lose the initial amusement.
By far the album’s best track is “New Friend Request,” which has lead singer Travis McCoy describing falling for someone through the latest internet fad MySpace, only to not have the feeling returned from the other party. The track does have a kind of Blink 182 feeling to it, so if you are not into that kind of music, you may not be too impressed, although it hard to imagine anyone not finding this tune catchy. Lyrically it is not the best song in the world, but McCoy’s delivery and lyrical relevance really make the song and I am sure a lot of people can relate to McCoy’s MySpace experiences.
Other album highlights include 1980s sampling “Clothes Off,” “7 Weeks” and “Biters Block” – the latter seeing GCH’s vending their frustration at the critics in one of their better lyric efforts.
While the young band show a lot of promise and this release is a big improvement over their last effort, their lack of maturity comes through on tracks like “Scandalous Scholastics” where lead singer Travis tells stories about making out with a teacher, it comes off sounding cheesy and a little lame.
With “As Cruel As School Children” GCH have clearly kicked up their hip-hop element, something that is most notable by their poor use of the “skit.” Much like modern hip-hop albums, the skits are fairly amusing the first time round, but after 2 spins you will never want to hear them again.
“As Cruel As School Children” is a noticeable improvement over their previous work, but the album is still a little too dull and repetitive to be a runaway success, although the band do show a lot of promise for the future. McCoy in particular shows a lot of promise with his poetic lyrics. Being as young as he is, he is in a great position to take it to the next level. This release could be a very powerful tool to take hip-hop to a new audience, but for those that are already there, the total package may not be that appealing. As a sophomore release, the album is a great showcase for the band’s improvement, although I can’t help feeling the group can do better.
On the whole the album does have a lot of enjoyment and entertainment value, but like most entertaining albums with comedic elements, the jokes get old quite quickly and the unfortunate use of skits also degrades the overall performance. This release will serve as a gentle reminder to simpler times as a youth with no cares for most, with its upbeat and catchy vibe.
Artist: Gym Class Heroes