So here it goes: the first album review from Back on the
Scene. Hopefully they improve.
It has been several weeks since Sims released his 2nd
full-length album produced exclusively by Lazerbeak (except for the Cecil Otter
produced “Staring Down the Ocean”). The single
featured artist on the album is P.O.S. (Doomtree). This is going great so far.
The Doomtree collective has been devastating shows in the twin cities for years now, and each of the artists have carved out their little niche. P.O.S. has seized the big stage by incorporating elements of his punk rock background into his hip hop shows, Dessa bounces back and forth between singing and rapping, Cecil Otter is almost always accompanies his abstract wordplay with an amazing live band, and Mictlan brings his high-energy, boastful L.A. demeanor to Minnesota crowds. Sims may not jump out stylistically from this diverse crowd, but Bad Times Zoo demonstrates that he is expanding and refining his personal style in a very notable way.
The album begins with some high energy heat rocks in the form of “Future Shock” and “Burn it Down”, the both of which showcase the soundscapes of Lazerbeak while Sims seamlessly adjusts to fit the different tempos.
Finally, Doomtree fans are able to get their hands on “Bad Time Zoo” and “One Dimensional Man”, songs that Sims has been performing live for at least a year. It is very interesting to experience the development of these songs, and they certainly have a different feel on the album. Performed live, “Bad Time Zoo” has been the focal point of Sims shows and is capable of hyping the crowd at any point. For some reason, it seems to have lost some of this magic. Maybe it loses some of the free-spirited banter and crowd interaction while being replaced by a more distant, (overproduced?) version. Whatever the reason, this song which was one of my favorites live is slightly downgraded to being just a good song on this album. “One Dimensional Man” shifts in the opposite direction. It always sounded a little “empty” live, Sims loved to perform it (even in front of the very people that it attacks) but lacked the secondary elements that the album version captures magnificently (the video for it is spectacular as well).
Middle of the Album is solid. Watch the video for a slight intermission.
Towards the end of the album, Sims and Beak transition to a
slower, more poignant mode as Sims speaks to issues with his girlfriend and
where we stand in the larger scheme of life.
“Sink or Syncopate” is one of the more addicting songs of the album with
a heavy bass line that carries the song through the whistling melody of the
chorus. Reminiscent of TC AG, “Hey You” is
Sims at his best as he states tomorrow
ain’t promised, today ain’t finished in a track that truly inspires.
There is room for further discussion of these tracks, and many of the tracks not mentioned are still worthy of listening, but I’m beginning to tire with this and I imagine that of the three people that began reading this article, only one of them is still reading and they are hopelessly bored. So I will stop. Soon.
Andrew Sims is a person.
A wonderful person that you hopefully will get to know. This will happen if you listen to his music,
go to his musical shows, or even his art shows.
Everything that this man produces is captures a piece of him whether it
is explicitly about him or not: the
heart and effort that Sims approaches his work with enable him to communicate
whatever message he has, and every interaction that I have had with him (none
of them are actually that personal, although he seems so genuine that it feels
like I have conversated with him) has heightened my appreciation of him as a
person and artist. Go out and buy Bad
Times Zoo!
Rating:
Lyrics/Style/Pizzazz 8.5
Beats/Production 8.5
Overall 9.0
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