[This review is part of our Take Your Kids to Work Day special]
By Jessica Roth (age 12) and Samuel Roth (age 11), cousins of [Plastique Song->http://www.www.tinymixtapes.com/_Plastique-Song_]
SELF kicks off with "Borateen," a great head banging rave type song, all my friends can dance to it too. Sounding a lot like a young synthesizing Incubus, it plays with many different riffs, which Mike Mahaffey makes it all interesting. Dancing to "Sophomore' is way too easy, it reminds my mom of an old Boston song called “Tribe” but I think it has a little Weezer in it. Lyrics are clear, kids really like that. Something you can sing to a good deal. The layering of Mike's own brand of music is cool, makes me (and my brother) wonder how he'd actually sound in a concert. So much mixing... what would he actually play? What would he choose to bring to the stage? Just push a button.
Track three, "Stewardess" is good. Some super high soft vocals we weren't crazy about and a little too Foo Fighters repetitiveness going on. "So Low" is one of the best tracks on the CD. Got up and danced, listening to it made me feel like I was at a party. Has right amount of high vocals mixed with a crashing rock beat... loved it. This song could be longer. Two songs that didn't do it for me were "Marathon Shirt" and "Lucid Anne." These tracks should be replaced with more of the good stuff, like in "Canon." This track (7) sticks! Listen to this! Teens love this stuff. If Mike wants to sell CDs he needs to keep mixing in this genre.
"Missed the friction" and "super" are just okay, nothing to write home about. "Mother nature's fault" has some great lyrics and pauses in the song that make the track memorable. Twinge of All American Rejects infused in this song, liked it quite a bit. The voice mix sounds cool.
Jazzy swing turn in "Big Important Nothing". This track is funky... not sure what Mike is trying to show us, way out of the pop rock style that the CD is mostly comprised of. More Buble' than Mahaffey. Good tune though. Than back to what the CD is about, "Lost my Senses" rocks out. Partially sounds like my cousin Ben's band Ace and Artemis, which rocks (by the way). More of this please.
Check this CD out by SELF, then check out my favs "So Low," “Canon," "Mother Nature's Fault" and "Lost my Senses".
