Customer Reviews

Idle Will Kill

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Idle Will Kill reeks of teenage existential angst, but that's the main source of their charm. They've produced a brilliant set of tracks which capture the essence of what makes punk music great - being vulnerable and honest and fiery all at the same time - essentially making this a beautifully human album. Opening with an acoustic number is a risk that even the more seasoned punk bands won't take, (most of them leave the ballads for the end) but Osker's refusal to be anything other than themselves - even if it sometimes entails being brutally honest and sacrificing vocal quality for full emotional expression - is what makes this album so appealing. Idle Will Kill is the ultimate "break-up" album - with lyrics like, "Half flattered you believed in me, half sorry you made a mistake," from Disconnect, Disconnect, (by far the best track) it'd be hard to find someone who couldn't relate to Devon's heartfelt delivery. (Incidentally, it can't be a coincidence that both Ben Folds Five and Osker use the line, "All of this breathing in and never breathing out," can it? Ben Folds is surely an intriguing influence for the boys...) This album is a fine example of what all young punk bands should be striving towards, and while it's a travesty that Osker did not enjoy the success they deserve, they prove that you don't have take the lighter, more comedic approach of the NOFX/Vandals-type bands, to produce a great punk album.

Singer, guitarist, and songwriter Devon Williams is a true punk visionary. Osker is one of my favorite punk bands ever and I think they did so much for the genre and for music in general with "Idle Will Kill". Everything on this album is so brilliant, whether it be the sporadic, free verse melodies or the sarcastic and anguished lyrics that I think make this album such a gem, or the fantastic musicianship surrounding the innovative songs. You really can't go wrong with this record. I also love Devon's unconventional voice because it brings so much life and strength to his amazing lyrics. I don't even know how to say all I want to about "Idle Will Kill". It's one of the most original punk cds I own and it will always be one of the best. The lyrics cover such dear topics like pride and ignorance without stepping foot into religious or political territory. This album is the epitome of rebellion, opinion, and self-expression. Pick it up. It is fantastic.

Osker is for sure one of my favorite bands and I think this album is amazing, there's not one bad song on this cd. Devon writes amazing lyrics, smooth and melodic guitar lines a song for every mood. A message in every song, starting with patience a nice acoustic track to get it started. With tracks leading into tacks I could think of a way to make this better, and its to bad that they are no longer a band I deeply regret never getting a chance to see them live. But they will always remain with me, just some kid living in a small town playing in a basement hoping one day to live the life. Holding on to their lyrics and beliefs I will never forget Osker...

I first discovered Osker last summer. One of my friends told me about them, and I downloaded a few mp3s and I was hooked. I went out and picked up Idle Will Kill in early July, a little over a month after its release. I loved the album, but it wasn't until after Osker's break up, when this album really hit me hard, opening up new views, emotion, and opinions that I had never had.

Osker is Devon Williams. Devon is and always will be the voice of Osker. He is the band. His friend Dave Benitez supplies the bass and backing vocals. Dave's work on this album really adds to the feeling of it. Devon steals the show. This guy's vocal range is amazing. His lyrics are moving, not to mention his guitar.

The band originated in 1998 out of sunny California. Signing to Epitaph was pure luck. Devon had a friend on the label, and he handed him a demo. The friend was impressed, and after Epitaph got their hands on it, so were they. After several appearances on the infamous Punk-O-Rama comp, Osker released their first full length, Treatment 5, in 2000. The album was a fast paced punk thriller.

Treatment 5 was impressive, and it showed a lot of potential in the band, but it wasn't groundbreaking, by any means. Days, months, years. These are the things that change everything. A year changed Osker completely. The band matured, and it's showed in full in their sophomore, and final release, Idle Will Kill.

The album starts with Patience. It's acoustic. Yes, an acoustic punk track. It's amazing, and easily one of the top tracks on the album. Devon screams, "Patience is nothing worth holding on to. Bite my tongue. Why should I? When you never did that for me..." Amazing. With one track down, I am completely hooked.

Strangled follows, and it is one of the fastest songs on the album. It's extremely catchy, and the chorus is hard not to enjoy. Another great song. Animal is next up, and the range in Devon's voice that I mentioned earlier, is shown in great example here. Williams howls, "Damn, you knew you were wrong. With all the things you know, with what little grace you show." Well, I think it's genius.

Several more tracks pass by (Contention, Motionless, Piece By Piece), and they are all impressive. Especially with these tracks, you can hear the variations in Osker's style, as they blow you away with their innovative combinations of punk, a whole lot of melody, and dare I say, new age emo? (snicker) But, it's the voice that matters most, and as I have said numerous times, this guy's voice is incredible.

This band reminds me of none other. Devon's voice is hard to compare to others, but if I had to compare it to anyone, it would probably be Jeff Ott from the great and sadly late (RIP) Fifteen. Lots of range, lots of depth. It's excellence.

At this point, we come to track number seven, The Body. After a slow intro, a huge guitar riff breaks in, and you can't help but bang your head in utter approval. This is a prime example of the excellent instrumental work provided by Williams & Benitez. It accompanies the music perfectly. We move on to Kinetic...

Kinetic is an amazing track. It's one of the two slower songs on the album. The words to this song are breathtaking, and the first few times I heard this, it just took me back, as I find this to be one of the greatest songs I've ever heard.

Another fast, melodic, emotional track or two follow, and we are now up to #10, Out Of Touch. The album is almost over. Yeah, the string of amazing lyrics and songs continue with #11, Back To You. Are you starting to see this consecutive pattern of greatness. Next up is another one of my favorites, Disconnect, Disconnect. Like Kinetic, it is much slower than the others, and like Patience and Motionless, it is accompanied by an incredible acoustic guitar line at one point in time during the song.

I've said a lot about this album, probably more than I usually say about a standard album. Well, this album isn't standard. It's a masterpiece. After Going On The Instincts, we are finally to the end of the album, with #14, Anchor.

Anchor is an amazing track. It's the only way for the album to end, and it ends perfectly. I said Kinetic was one of my favorite songs ever. It's a long list, but Anchor surpasses it by just a tad. This is the best song Osker has done, and it's quite fitting for it to be their last. Grab a tissue, the album is over kids.

Osker is a band that few understood. Osker is a band that is and always will be, extremely under-rated. This is the best band Epitaph has had on their label in years, and it's a shame to see them go. In my opinion, Osker is one of the greatest punk bands ever to walk the face of the earth, and in my opinion, Idle Will Kill is one of my favorite albums of all time. Label this band what you want.

Call them punk, pop-punk, or emo. They don't care, and that's exactly why this band worked so well. They didn't care whether the world appreciated them or not. They cared about the music, and that is what it's all about in the end.

Their sarcastic wit confused many. Their crude stage acts shocked a few. The funny thing is, it was just a joke. Osker did those things to see if you'd believe them. it's part of the game. They didn't care what you thought. They just wanted to see if your reaction was worth viewing or not. In the end, it's the music.

As I just repeated, for Osker, the music was all they were after. They were in the business to turn heads, to shock, and that is why they are truly punk. Great music they made. Two great albums, and a fantastic masterpiece that is Idle Will Kill. I guess we could go into a "Who cares about labels?," discussion now, but I'm really not up for that at the moment. Osker didn't care about labels. I don't either.

OK, so this is album number two for Osker. A bit of change from Treatment 5, but one that doesn't smell of a completely different band turning it out. It's full of great lines, topped off by some sweet melodies, riffs and drumming. I find myself humming them through a work day.

If there is anything I can't stand, it's totally uncreative songs that are carried on by completely drab musicality. Osker pushes their songs until they are over with. Even repeated verses don't loose their effect, as can happen with some songs.

To sum the CD and Osker's sound up though, it's different. Full of adolescent passion, trials and tribulations of young life and pure feeling, it makes you want more. Too bad Osker's gone.

It's awful that nobody really caught onto this CD. The emotion that is portrayed throughout grabs me every time. The singer, while not the best, surely puts his heart into every single word. I welcome this and respect it more than a good, trained singer who sounds completely dead on their albums (hint: American Idol winners.) Please buy this, or download or whatever.

I'm not going to compare it to thier other cd, becuase this one is better. It seems these days that bands can only cook up one good album and then they get stuck in a holding patern and release the same album over and over, but their new cuts just aren't up to snuff with thier old stuff. Osker, though short lived and misunderstood, tottally destroyed the concept of the so-called "sophmore slump" they released their most definative album right on the heels of thier excellent debut. There is no telling why kids aren't sporting Osker shirts (other than the fact that it's one of the worst band names ever), they released two great albums. They tottally changed it up with this album, but not in a way that made it look as if they were whoring themselves, they didn't simply "mature", they got better. The lyrics on Treatment 5 were terrible, there were a few highlights, but for the most part of that record the lyrics weren't very captivating. The lyrics are amazing on this record, it is odd to even think that the same person who wrote this album wrote the one before. The lyrics are honestyet they aren't trite or cheap, foceful yet not overbearing, almost perfect delivery and the range is something to be talked about as well. The music is dynamic and ceases to stale in any way, I can't help but say this album is quite good. It is too bad that nobody really knows about these guys and it's too bad that they had some sort of "reputation" about them to those who did know them. It's a great album, it doesn't project any visions of grandiour, it doesn't force a critic to immediatly point his finger and say this is the album of the year. Idle Will Kill is an album to be discovered, there is nothing flashy about it that will force your attention on. A look at the cover and all there is to be seen is a pattern, the bands name and the non descript typed title, idle will kill. There are no big flashy pictures inside of the album insert, simple the lyrics. The simplicity of the albums appearnce allows the music to truly paint the feeling of the album, it exemplifies the point that is attempted to be made, the mission statement, idle will kill. More true words have not often been spoke. This is not a "classic" album or a critic album, this is the band's album wasn't intended to please anyone but the band. Osker didn't record this to appeal to a scene, they didn't get some expensive graphic artist to put "expressive" art on it to try to suggest a theme or garner some emotional appeal. Idle Will Kill is an album, it isn't a punk album, it isn't a hardcore album, emo album or any of that garbage, it's an album, an expression of a collection of individuals. If you want to find a no B.S. album, get this. It didn't spearhead any trends, it didn't define a scene or a genre of music, it doesn't make any giant statements, didn't prove a point, it is simple an album of impressive music. Nothing more nothing less.

When I first heard of Osker, I saw of em off a Punk-O-Rama and decided to give em a try. Downloaded em, they are a very original punk emo band. Vocals have a little touch of Rancid, Guitars and Drums, a little like NoFX, and lyrics sound like New Found Glory. Very good mix. Anyways, Osker is not very well known at all, but I think they are definately up there with NoFX and Rancid status.

Well all i need to say is buy this album as it is the best album i've ever heard or maybe "treatment 5" is (oskers other album)they have split now but buy their album because you will love it!

Osker is a great band, and I owe my discovery of Osker to the Epitaph home page, which has been trying to advertise the release of Idle Will Kill for a while now. I picked up the album at a [retail store] Spin-out in LA, and it's really great. Each song is distinct, as opposed to many other albums where they all just blend together to the point where it's impossible to tell them apart. The lyrics are thoughtful and are emphasized by the music instead of being drowned out. Osker seems to be finding their own way with meaningful, not-too-catchy songs that're easy to relate to and that make for a very original 'punk' album.