Top Ten of 2007: Kidcrash - Jokes

I don’t really know what there is to say about Kidcrash’s “Jokes” besides the fact that it is one of the finest emo albums of the past year. I guess I could start the review out with some kind of abstract relation like they’re a combination of Off Minor’s spazzed out math sound and the early Slint swiping groups like Maximillian Colby. But, Kidcrash really lacks the dynamic persuasion of those bands. It is obvious that the band was formally a big fan of the Kinsella projects and in more appropriate terms the entire mid-west emo sound, but they also seem to riff into heavy chord sections that are reminiscent of the current European emo sound that bands like Daitro and Sed Non Satiata are pushing. I suppose I’ll resort to describing Kidcrash as a band that seems to mesh all of the current trends in emo into one insanely well-made package.

kidcrash

The album opens up with the lengthy intro of “Turtlelephant” which almost makes the band seem like they’re going to be exchanging Don Caballero style swells but then the vocally dense screams push their way into the song and the mood is changed into some sort of late ‘90s hardcore song. It is a brilliant strategy that Kidcrash essentially works the entire album. Where a band like Off Minor uses its math rock or jazz influence to create huge increases of sound and large decreases into silent beauty, Kidcrash does not possess this dynamic persuasion in their music. Instead most of the time Kidcrash relies on exploiting the crazy technical side of their music which means they’re basically never playing the same note through out the entire album. The band certainly isn’t “Hot Crossing” all over the album but they are making extreme benefit of the idea that every note should trigger a specific harmony and in most cases it works fantastically. Highlights on the album include the completely instrumental “Kissed By A Roach From The Grave” and the supposed epic “Aconduit Rather Than A Vault”.

kidcrash's 'jokes'

After a very long time understanding and listening to this record it is obviously that it is a classic emo record. Unlike, 'As the Roots Undo' which I don't even listen to anymore 'Jokes' has a marvelous replay value and in general is just a fantastic record. Nearly seven months after I first heard it and 'Jokes' is still the amazing record I originally interpreted it to be. The best record of 2007.

Kidcrash - Jokes (2007)