Customer Reviews

I'll Take It

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

 

 

Recalling Weezer, Veruca Salt, Portishead, Big Star("Sister Lovers" era)and some weird cross-pollination of Blondie and Lagwagon, Mink Lungs are NOT the punk-rock Partridge Family described on the cover sticker(it was the main reason I bought the damn thing). But, if you can forgive the opening two tracks(which are excruciating), you get something a little offbeat in track #3("Men in Belted Sweaters")and it begins picking up from there. I especially liked #10 thru #17(with the exception of "Dishes", an ode to...dishwashing). Mink Lungs come on like a trippy '60's throwback(with a cover model who looks like Mia Farrow gulping a downer)but the music doesn't match the image(which is usually death). There are some very inspired bits, although the vocalists aren't wildly gifted. Advice: get rid of the groovy graphics, concentrate on ONE influence(the straightforward rock is much more appealing than the frat-boy sex stuff or the sci-fi take-offs). The playing is colorful and adept, as is some of the writing.

Ok, first to the guy who liked it and didn't like the ode to dishwashing...please relisten to that song! It is easily one of the best tracks on either of their albums. It is a perfectly constructed story about a person, not an ode to dishwashing.

second, to the guy who said derivative. What isn't anymore except for the most outlandish music that can sometimes not be called music, see Animal Collective, or Wolf Eyes, for two.

Third, to the guy who said mean spirited. Since when does the 'spirit " of the material an artist puts out have anything to do with a review of it's quality? So someone who likes death metal could say about reggae..."it's too happy." I mean really. what you say is like giving a movie a bad review because it is in subtitles.

Ok now, to the guy who really liked it and said it grows on you. Hell yeah it does. i was a huge fan of The better Button, this album was very different and it put me off. the direction is scattered, but man does that fade upon a perfect listen over a nice jameson on ice and quality speakers. The MINK LUNGS ARE GONE....where? Why? What happened. We saw them at Khyber pass in philly at the dawn of the I'll take it tour. A crowd of 15 attended and most had no idea what they missed by drinkin at the bar. We drank with them for hours after and they pushed tons of free vinyl all over us. Then they left for europe and disappeared for ever. GOD BLESS THE MINK LUNGS. BUY THEIR ALBUMS!

Coolness is nicely uncovered.

This is a pretty cool rock record. It's got enough variation and craftsmanship to keep you interested (even after 17 tracks) I urge you not to concentrate on the vocals, just let the whole thing kind of wash over you. What it lacks in "direction" (and it lacks direction) it makes up for in skill and great song construction. It comes across almost as a compilation based on the aforementioned no direction but again recovers well because everybody can play well (good save)

This is better than it gets reviewed in my opinion, I like virtually every track and the tracks I don't completely enjoy tend to have some redeeming qualities.

Worthy of a purchase, with no negative side effects. Key mention: Time has only strengthened my opinion of this CD and I liked it almost right away (it gets better fast) and has the depth to linger in the play circulation of my heavy rotating group of favorites.

One additional Key: This CD is also almost never annoying or irritating even though this "musical format" tends to be a "hit and miss" musical category in my opinion. Examples of hit and miss in this category are Mooney Suzuki or McKlusky or Hot Snakes... all great bands that have scores of terrible songs scattered about their material. Mink Lungs hits the mark with more regularity and when they miss it's still pretty okay and not a track skip.

THIS IS THE WAY.NOT ENOUGH WORDS TO EXPLAIN IT.
JUST OPEN YOURS EARS.
DON'T WASTE MORE TIME.
TAKE IT !!

The good news is that this band is obviously very talented. The guitar playing is good, and they boast three members with distinctive lead singing ability and style. Unfortunately, there are also a lot problems with it. I'll list my main three:

1. First, there are far too many songs on it. Often as I listen to it, I wonder why they didn't spend more time perfecting some songs before moving on to writing others. Maybe this is just a product of the mutli-talented nature of the band not being able to agree - - whatever the reason, a good producer should Identify the asongs with promise and work fleshing them out.

2. The second issue is linked to the first. Though the band sports three lead singers, the sounds are never integrated. Listening to the album is almost like listening to three different bands. Who knows, maybe the future of the Mink Lungs is to split up and form the nucleus of three new bands. If not, I'd personally like to see them integrate the vocal styls into the same songs, or at least work on easing the flow from one song to the next.

3. The third issue is more problematic - in that a producer can't fix it. This band strikes me as just plain mean spirited. Their lyrics are nasty and sordid, and lack the vlunerability that would get me on their side. Technically they do the Indie underground thing very well, paying musical homage to the Velvet Underground, the Jim Caroll Band, and others, but to what point? Ultimately, the band has a lot of songs here, but not very much to say. I can picture them sitting in a Williamsburgh Coffee house, smoking, and laughing, and snarkily remarking about all the losers and poseurs moving into the neighborhood. Maybe some people like this kind of thing, but to me the problem is these lyrics are so in-crowd, they likely leave virtually all of humanity on the outside.

Ultimate Recomendation: If you're into new music and new bands, this album is worth the risk I guess. It is better than a lot of stuff out there - and I do intend to try the band's other album. But my goodness, with all the talent and promise here, I'd think they could do better.