Emo cover art, much? After their critcally acclaimed What The Hell Do I Know, which dropped in ’07, the Illinois boys (from Pennsylvania…duh) are back with The Adventures of Kid Catasrophe, finally released in full yesterday (June 9). They’ve been teasing/pleasing us with a chapter (video and EP release) of Kid Catasrophe since November, but now we’re all set to go with the album as a whole.
Kid Catastrophe finds the quintet in a lo-fi, poppy, electronica state, with hushed vocals and the usual solid percussion dominating the tracks, with prominently featured keys this time around. And while the listening is certainly easy on the ear, I can’t help but feel that something is missing on Kid Catastrophe – it has its fair share of standout tracks, though it’s just not different. We’re used to this stuff – the pleasant stringed, piano-pop with nice vocals, but I was expecting something more.*
*Full disclosure: If I was writing a typical artist profile I would gush about Illinois’ sound and how it’s right up my alley. But when an artist has already made its mark, I’m looking for more. Is that so wrong? (I really don’t want to sound all up on a high horse here – I promise!)
This is not meant to be a poor review. I still enjoy Kid Catastrophe, but that’s just it – I can’t say much else about it. Though more time with it may, in fact, do the trick. I’m willing to admit my fault of oftentimes judging an album too quickly.
Illinois – “Hang On” [MP3]
Illinois – “Missing Piece” [MP3]
Illinois – “She’s So Blonde” [MP3]
A favorite of mine from What The Hell Do I Know:
Illinois – “Alone Again” [MP3]
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