Customer Reviews

Analphabetapolothology

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Listening to the raw unpolished exuberance of the music and looking at the pictures in the liner notes immediately brings to mind Operation Ivy's "Energy". The similarity lies not so much in the musical style, but the very essence of what this release is. This is one of those rare albums (or anthology, I suppose, would be more a propos) that captures a brief moment in time where a bunch of young musicians (and boy were they young, and that's part of why it's so damn impressive) just click, and produce something that, probably unbeknownst to them at the time, would remain relevant and influential and appreciated after they packed the whole thing up and moved on. This is the document of a band in its prime (and well, pretty much everything else they recorded too), and moreover, it's a document of being young and growing up and all that comes with it. That's probably why so many people relate to this release, and that's a big part of what makes it special.
The other part of that equation is the music itself. This is the first time we hear Kinsella crack his voice over notes just out of reach, the first taste of the trademark poetically-silly-thought-provoking wordplay, the beginnings of that familiar, beautiful layering of sound. Fans of future efforts will recognize the roots showing here. This hits harder than, for example, Joan of Arc, however. Some of it anyway. Cap'n Jazz is more raw, more is at the surface, and it's ultimately more accessible. There are big anthemic walls of sing-along crescendo that blow you away, but anybody can do that, right? It's the quiet parts in between the cacophony that matter here. Little stripped down moments interspersed throughout the tracks defy traditional song structure. The up/down dichotomy feeds itself, sweet sparse meandering making sweeter explosion making sweetest return to said meandering. Perhaps noodling would be a more apt description. The band certainly showed tendencies toward improvisation - their playing with sound is thoroughly evident, and the final versions you hear are unlikely to be the result of careful planning and structure, more borne of trial-and-error experimentation. And they're better for it.
Cap'n Jazz recorded a handful of 7"s and one LP, and this anthology collects all of the recorded material. In terms of value, this thing delivers - a truckload of great music that will keep you busy for a while. The first CD feels tighter and flows better - it feels like an album, because it is an album - the entirety of the band's only LP. The second disc is less cohesive and certainly more befitting of the `anthology' tag, but it's still good. The whole thing is good. There are no real misses here - just diversity. I highly recommend this release, but to whom is a question in itself. I think there are potentially several different musical tastes that this could appeal to. I can say with a good degree of certainty, however, that if you are reading this, you had to get here somehow, because of a recommendation, because of random discovery, because you enjoy seeking out new music - ultimately because you have an interest. And because of that, you will probably enjoy this band. Immensely.

The name says it all. Analphabetapolothology. Elements of "anthology" and "apology" to show what it is, and "alphabet" to show how comprehensive it is. And let's NOT forget "anal." The liner notes call it what it is, which is a chronicle of youth; paradoxically thanking and apologizing simultaneously to the listener for listening to this. It is an apology on behalf on the band because, as Tim Kinsella says, "reissues are by their nature embarrassing." Or something like that.

The album. It has a sense of place, having been compared by someone else to Slint's "Spiderland" as the definition of a style: the definition of a certain time and place. The liner notes say this, too. It is everything that a teenager is, but overall as a person struggling with identity ("We are young human beings"). The musical style and accompanying lyrics more than tell how it is to be a teenager; it illustrates it through and through. And without resorting to clichés or stereotypes, and I respect it in this manner. Perhaps the last song, "Olerud", is the resolution of the matter of how it grows to be a teenager of the album when it declares that "it's like finally realizing how lucky we really are to have had a few really good heartbreaks."

It is a compilation, and can be easily pigeonholed into the category of "Greatest Hits" where the album has no cohesion or centrality. But this defies such categorization, because this has cohesion and centrality; it is a further paradox in this way. There is a certain something to it that begs for exploration and definition. Combine absolute rawness with pretty good poetry and a keen sense of the aesthetic and add that special something else, and you get Cap'n Jazz. I'm tempted sell out and call it destiny, but I can't say for sure. Maybe inevitability is a better word. But, as I say, it is a definition itself, and pinning down exactly what it is would be defining a definition.

My review focuses on how influential this album is, and what it is, but I want to say that it has gorgeous, memorable hooks, and is, at its core, rock music. It isn't "emo," it is rock that is "honest emotionally." I hate almost all "emo," (see Dashboard, etc.) but I love this. Skating effortlessly between cacophonous and euphonious, and always euphonious in its cacophony, it is so well-layered that I would like this album even if he were singing gibberish.

Speaking of the lyrics, however, Kinsella has a penchant for puns that build, double meanings ("I'm always bothering"), as well as a poetic sense of everything, especially alliteration. They are tight together, probably because they had played (and since are playing!)together in the Chicago suburbs (the city, now) since they started playing. Or maybe it is because they are really good. This CD serves as a standard for comparison for the other bands that these guys spawned (see Owls, Joan of Arc, Ghosts and Vodka... Promise Ring too, but not so much, as Davy plays only on the second disc, and his role is diminutive: a veritable "happy accident").

Also, you know that a band who builds its sound around cacophony is good when they can pull of a cover of "Take on Me," not to mention the 90210 theme song! Do you remember those songs? The most unlikely covers and the most apporpriate: simply put, Cap'n Jazz owns them.

I recommend this CD to anyone who is a conscientious fan of modern music: it truly is a definition and not a derivative. Meaning that while most music is nothing more than an obvious, albeit different take on something original, this IS original, and a source of inspiration for a later generation of artists.

Great, fast, dynamic, exciting. Wonderfully strained vocals that are buried just right.

Hyper, sincere. This will live in my car for the summer.

If you believe punk can be adorable, you should give this album a listen. If you believe in being happily angry, this will be your soundtrack. It's a bunch of kids using pop sensibilities to create punk flavored social commentary that is not your typical trite youthful angst. The lyrics have a bit more to offer than your standard FM punk fare, and the music is broader. You gotta love the raucous "Take On Me" cover. Not as serious as June of 44, less easy on the ears as Modest Mouse, more fun than Drive Like Jehu, it's imaginative and fun, bouncy. Side one is chock full of anthems. Give it a chance.

There are enough theological reviews in here debating the punk/indie connection, or whether or not this was the first emo band. I just want to say that the reason this album is so important to me is that I think it was the first album I really loved. It was probably the most inspiring album in my collection and spent more time in my player than any since. The lyrics are all so amazingly clever it boggles my mind. These guys were just teenagers at the time. Since then they've gone on to form much more successful groups and created (arguably) more mature and educated tunes. But this ablum stands as each members greatest achievement in my own opinion, and is one of the truly great works of the 90's, and is without any cumbersome preconcievd notions that the idea of "genres" bogs music down with. Its just amazing music.

i've owned at least two copies of this double-disc compilation, and have managed to play all four discs until they wouldn't work anymore. you can tell they were young and having a blast - they play with a ton of energy, especially on those live tracks.

When I listen to this album I can't look past the past, just look at how young these kids were when they wrote this album. When I was their age and got my first guitar I was not looking into chord progressions or doing any sort of noodling I was figuring out the power chord and how to cover Promise Ring songs. Which leads to the second beauty of this band, what was to become of these musicians. Tim had a million projects working with other heros of mine like Bob Nanna in Sky Corvair or singing back up with Davey Von Bohlen on a Promise Ring song. Then you have Mike Kinsella who now writes beautiful music for Owen and plays shows all over the world. Then there is my personal favorite, Davey who founded The Promise Ring then Vermont and currently still plays in Maritime. It's fun to see where all of these musicians went from the disrupting sounds of Cap'n Jazz they all write such quiet and subdued music in their new bands. Except Tim still keeping it heavy with Make Believe. It is a testament to this ahead-of-their-time band that are still creating so many great songs and they all still do what they love to do over 15 years after creating this band. Great band. Great album. Great guys. Long live Shmap'n Shmazz!

Really like this band and the way they use a string section.All the songs are really good with Dying Is Fine the best of all look foward to next album.I heard the drummer died in a swimming accident it will be interisting to see if they change their sound he wrote a lot the music on this album.

For some people it was Led Zeppelin, or Saves the Day, but for me it was caP'n Jazz. When I heard Analphabetapolothology for the first time, everything made sense to me. It didn't make sense to most of my friends at the time, and I know a lot of people who like the other Kinsella projects but not caP'n Jazz. But for me, this album is pretty much the soundtrack to my teenage years. I have never grown tired of it, and I consider it to be among a handful of albums that helped me develop my taste in music.

For some people it was Led Zeppelin, or Saves the Day, but for me it was caP'n Jazz. When I heard Analphabetapolothology for the first time, everything made sense to me. It didn't make sense to most of my friends at the time, and I know a lot of people who like the other Kinsella projects but not caP'n Jazz. But for me, this album is pretty much the soundtrack to my teenage years. I have never grown tired of it, and I consider it to be among a handful of albums that helped me develop my taste in music.