Customer Reviews

Young Criminals Starvation League

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

 

 

If you are familiar with "traditional" Bare Jr then you already know that none of their amplifiers go lower than 9 and can guarentee that your ear drums will be bleeding by the time you walk out of the concert hall. However, in place of the guitar crunch and distorted vocals, Bare Jr. puts low-fi recording gear and an acoustic guitar in his presence. His skill as a songwriter & lyricist really shine through in every track on this record. It's a great mellow CD for just about any occasion, as it winds its way through catchy "altcountry-pop", folk-like improvisations, and the occasional pedal steel and "y'all". His band is super tight and never plays anything that overshadows the core of the song itself. Highlights on the album (well...all of it), are "Bullet Through My Teeth" in which Bobby Bare Sr himself sings back up vocals, "Stay In Texas" which features some nifty pedal steel work reminiscent of the streets of Austin, and "Painting Her Fingernails", which tells a bitter tale of a lonely heart. I highly highly recommend picking this album if you are into just putting on some great music in the background, if you are driving anywhere, or just want to relax in general. This album is a top 5 in my collection!

I am not a fan of country music, so I really wondered what I was thinking when I bought this album after only hearing two songs. Fortunately for my wallet, it is fantastic. It's more than country (thanks be!), it's more than rock- it's a wonderful mix of styles, sounds, and personality. Suffice it to say that this cd has not left my stereo since I got it. It's in heavy, heavy rotation.

This cd provides a mix of sounds and lyrics and smashes 'em all together and its fantastic! It is such an interesting combination of tones, harmonies, and instrumental talent I can't help but listen to every song over and over. Bobby Bare Jr.'s rock/country voice makes this music unique and I highly recommend it.

This is one of the strangest CDs I've purchased in quite a while. Thirty seconds into the first track (I'll Be Around) I was saying "this sounds a lot like something Lambchop would do." Then a look at the credits revealed Paul Burch, Paul Neihaus, Tony Crow and Mark Nevers--all of whom are current or past members of Lambchop--were involved.

The Lambchop comparison pretty much ends with that song. What follows are some darn catchy songs and some a couple of annoying ones as well. Flat Chested Girl is a lot of fun, Bullet is a good song and I like the Smiths cover of What Difference Does It Make. Stay in Texas is another memorable number. The Monk At The Disco (this really sounds like something Morrisey would write) is pretty good, although a little on the trite side.

The centerpiece of the CD is obviously Dig Down and it just doesn't work for me, despite some ear-catching lyrics. It's packaged as a protest song with single guitar in the background. It's too minimal, didactic and heavy handed, especially compared to the relatively light-hearted fare that surround it. It just sounds out of place. Mehan, another song with bare(?)-bones accompaniment, doesn't connect with me either.

This is the first I've heard Bare Jr. so my review is not influenced by his (from what I've read) much different sounding recordings with his full band.

On the negative side, whose great idea was it to print the lyrics on the actual CD itself? Pretty lame.

Near-perfect song craft; a soulful, unique voice; amazing and suprising arrangements. I can't think of one cut that doesn't stand up and say "Pay attention." This is so good it makes me want to buy his father's albums.

It was another day, sitting in the cube, listening to Pandora on the PC. I was tuned into Johnny Cash radio, the usual mix, George and Tammy, a pinch of Merle, some Jerry Reed, a healthy dose of Bob & The Band and some Muddy Waters, to take a bit of the twang off.
Then up pops Young Criminals' Starvation League.
Sounds good.
To the Denver Public Library web site and despite the budget cuts they have Bobby Bare Jr YCSL in.
I check it out.
I am happy.
If it weren't for windowsme I'd have Bobby Jr. on the ipod.
Instead Bobby's playing on the mind pod.
Hey Bobby, if Rock and Roll dies it is not your fault!

...He can't sing and his songs are kinda lame. Having a famous ne'er-do-well dad and a limitless capacity to try and shock the squares can really only go so far. I mean, if you really like this record, more power to you. But it really isn't very well made or all that engaging. Yes, he might not "sound like everybody else," but that doesn't necessarily make him a good alternative to what's out there.