Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not Keasbey Nights....Its Better!!!, August 3, 2005
Streetlight Manifesto is in a sense, a ska "supergroup," uniting the biggest names of the New Jersey Ska scene together. However, they are by no means the stereotypical supergroup. Everything Goes Numb is a masterpiece; creatively blending in various genres of music with some of the best lyrics I have ever seen on top of the instrumental wizardry demonstrated by each of its members. Josh Ansley (bass), Jamie Egan (trumpet/trombone/tuba, live trumpet), Mike Soprano (live trombone), and Tomas Kalnoky (guitar/songwriting/vocals), (all of Catch-22 fame), join forces with Paul Lowndes (drums), Jim Conti (Alto/Tenor sax, clarinet), and Dan Ross (Alto/Bari Sax). To veteran ska fans, Everything Goes Numb sounds like a natural continuation of Catch-22's hit album, Keasbey Nights. This shouldn't come as a surprise as over half the band is comprised of old Catch-22, and according to frontman kalnoky, Everything Goes Numb is the second chapter of The Keasbey Diaries, of which Keasbey Nights was the first. Everything Goes Numb, is by far, the best ska cd I have ever heard; I'm hesistant to even call it ska as its not just "punk w/ horns" as ska has come to be known, rather it blends punk with classical, jazz, and a number of other genres to create a unique fusion. Tomas Kalnoky does an amazing job on vocals, with rapid-fire singing reminiscent of his Catch-22 days, and college seems to have greatly increased his songwriting capabilities; his lyrics are some of the best I have ever seen. The horn section is the real gem of the band; rather large for even a ska band and playing intricate solos, they are arguably more important to the band than the guitars are. Anyway, now onto the actual review of the album:
Everything Goes Numb- 5/5 This opening track starts with dueling saxophones before the rest of the band enters with a BANG. Fast, energetic, with wonderful vocals and lyrics, the listener is immediately reminded of vintage Catch-22 as they mark their reentrance to rock after a long hiatus. This track just gives a taste of Streetlight's virtuoso horn section.
That'll Be the Day- 5/5 The heaviest track on the album, the guitar and bass are more prominent with heavier riffs. The horns parts are more aggressive, the imagery depicted by Kalnoky's lyrics are just amazing, and the memorable chorus will be stuck in your head for a while after hearing this.
Point/Counterpoint- 4.8/5 A crowd favorite, notably for its resemblence to Catch-22's song, Keasbey Nights (also written by Kalnkoy). Like its predescesor, it starts off with acoustic guitar before the entrance of horns. The structure of the song and the lyrical content is strikingly similar to Keasbey Nights. The members of Streetlight probably figured this out to; at live shows, they break into Keasbey Nights halfway into the song before finishing up the second half of point/counterpoint.
If and When We Rise Again- 4/5 A minute of guitar effects and light drumming in the beginning before the horns come in. The bari sax plays a cool horn line from Brahm's Hungarian Dance No. 5.
A Better Place, a Better Time- 4/5 The longest song on the album, clocking in at over 6 mins. This song is just beautiful, the lyrical work on this song is just amazing. Overall, it is rather slower than the pervious songs, but it speeds up occassionally.
We Are the Few- 4.5/5 Another crowd favorite, it has a very catchy chorus that is fun to sing along to. The mid-section to the ending is the best part.
Failing Flailing- 4/5 This song took a while to grow on me, as the beginning playful horn parts seemed cheesy and childish. Upon more listens, my liking for it greatly increased. The best part is the end with three different choruses being simultaneously sung, including the addictive, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me, and it's been years but still I fear that someday they'll desert me...."
Here's to Life- 5/5 A reprise of the original that was recorded by Streetlight's side project, Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution (also fronted by Kalnoky). The song is strongly anti-suicide, and demonstrate's Kalnoky's lyrical prowess as he pays tribute to his favorite authors and artists that killed themselves.
A Moment of Silence- 5/5 This song is epic; there is no other word to describe it. This songs is probably the slowest on the album, it takes a ballad-like approach as Kalnoky sings a tribue to the "losers and cynicists." Needless to say, it contains great lyrical working. Also notable about this song, is that it contains a subliminal and interpretable retort at Catch-22 with the line "If you hate me so much, then stop singin my songs" (Catch-22 still sings the hits off of Keasbey Nights and are often criticized for living off of the fame of Kalnoky's songs)
A Moment of Violence- 3.5/5 Not much to say about this song, its a reprise of A Moment of Silence that is taken at a much faster tempo with aggressive and accented vocals.
The Saddest Song- 3.8/5 Returns to the fast upbeat styling of the previous songs with kind of a "chin up" feel. Kalnoky returns to his rapid fire vocals once more.
The Big Sleep- 4.5/5 Wonderful closer to the album, it starts of slow before increasing speed. A perfect way to say goodbye, as you will see when you listen to the lyrics.
On a final note, I urge you to go out and actually by this album rather than pirate it; There is not one song on here that is worth missing, and these guys deserve support for their work.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Amazing - the greatest gift you could give a friend, December 8, 2004
Truly, few debut albums are as complete and fulfilling as this one. Most of the time they are mere indications of a bands coming glory. Not the case of Streetlight Manifesto. This debut cd is truly a masterpiece. Why? A variety of reasons. The band itself is formed from the best of two other ska groups, old Catch 22 and One Cool Guy. From Catch 22 there is Josh Ansley (bass), Jamie Egan (trumpet) and Tomas Kalnoky (guitar, vocals & songwriting). From One Cool Guy there is Chris Thather (drums), Jim Conti (tenor sax), Dan Ross (bari sax), and Mike Saprano (trombone.)
Kalnoky is truly the heart of the band. His guitar playing is not necessarily anything special in itself, though it is still good. His vocals, however, are where he shines the most, having refined his voice and brought it to new more angry and energetic heights since "Keasby Knights." His song writing is extremely origonal and diverse. Songs do not follow cliched patterns of verse-chorus-verse. You never know what to expect. Also, Kalnoky's lyrics are absolutely incredible - a good friend of mine made the observation that they were almost as good as radiohead's (that's pretty good). The other sections of the band are equally amazing. Thather on drums is easily one of the most talented contemporary drummers and goes from style to style as he plays. John Ansley is also a terrific bassist with some of the most ingenuitive lines i have ever heard. And finally, the horn section is what gives streetlight their power. Unlike other ska bands nowadays, the horn section does not have "corny" horn lines or only come out with occasional bursts here and there. Streetlight features very complex horn parts which define the sound of the band, and the horns very often have terrific solos. All that having been said this makes for a truly terrific band. In case you were not interested to read those top paragraphs, here is a song by song review.
1. Everything Went Numb. A wonderful opener. Extremely catchy, great lyrics, very fast singing, and a terrific horn break makes this my third favorite on the album. 10/10
2. That'll Be the Day. I didn't like this one at first, perhaps because the beggining was not too appealing. Upon listening to this track more i found that i loved it. At times one of the harder tracks, with a great chorus that you and your pals will be singing for days. 9/10
3. Point/Counterpoint. One of the most popular songs on this album, it's not suprising why. Basically as others have said it is a contiuation of the song "Keasby Knights". Acoustic based in the beggining and it picks up the pace. More great lyrics and one liners here, though I don't think this possesses the same magic that others possess. 9/10.
4. If and When We Rise. A very interesting begging of almost a minute in length in which the guitar bass and drums build up to a final outburst of horns, and then burst into the bulk of the song. Fast paced and with a great horn break towards the end. 9/10.
5. A Better Place, A Better Time. This song tones it down a notch or two, althought the middle section is pretty hard. It's an anti-suicide song, and unlike other anti-suicide songs it makes you want to keep going. The chorus is very beautiful. 9.5/10.
6. We Are the Few. Another favorite of many. Great chorus, but the really good part is in the breakdown in the middle with soft yet anthematic lyrics. The ending is also quite enjoyable. 9/10
7. Failing, Flailing. Quite possibly the weakest song on the album, but still good! The horn parts are in this song a little corny at parts, plus lots of the meledy is borrowed from the middle section of "A Better Place/Time" but not as good. Even so it does have some good moments - esepcially, as reviewer root noted (good call), the ending. 7.5/10
8. Here's to Life. An amazing song. Quiet intro that prepares you for the coming greatness. Horn parts are persistent throughout, and they are verry good. Top notch acoustic playing at parts. Also the lyrics are truly amazing, with numerous references to famous authors and literary characters, i.e. Holden Caulfield, J.D. Salinger, Camus, Hemingway. Terrific bassline. A magnificent song, my second favorite on the album. 10/10.
9. Moment of Silence. If there was one song that could follow up Here's to life, this certainly is it. The begging is trumpet fanfare that remind me of a medieval court type thing. Bass and drum fill follows. And then he proceeds with the lyrics which are truly amazing. How a person comes up with lyrics so good and beautiful is mind boggling. You'll have to listen to this song to get it. 10/10, my favorite on the album
10. Moment of Violence. The theme here is a louder more "violent" reprise of Moment of Silence. While the theme is good, the song itself is just average, nowhere near the greatness of "Silence". It's still nothing you would want to skip. 7/10
11. The Saddest Song. More good lyrics, very fast much like "Everythign Went Numb". good chorus also. a solid song. 8.5/10.
12. The Big Sleep. Perfect Conclusion to a terrific album. Starts out quiet and gets loud at parts. His lyrics are very easy to understand and portray terrific imagery. 9/10.
You may have noted that I gave quite high reviews to almost all of these songs. I'm not an easy grader. This album truly is that magnificent. Even if you're not a big ska fan, you must buy this album. It is almost inconceivable that you will not like it to some extent. If you haven't already, sprint to the nearest music store and purchase this cd, made by God and handed directly to streetlight manifesto.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
this band kicks. end of story, August 28, 2006
This band is the fourth and in my opinion best project tomas kalnoky has been involved with. This album is one of the only albums i can listen to in its entirety and not skip a track. i know the lyrics to every song and some of the beats in a way. its a great album.
1. Everything went numb:9/10 great song.. good start to any day great intro great verse great chorus.. end of story
2. That'll be the day:9/10 they opened with this when i saw them and the crowd reaction was just amazing.. great message
3.Point/Counterpoint:9/10 kind of a continuation of Keasbey Nights, this song is what got me into SM
4. If and When We Rise: 8/10 when i first heard this song i would usually skip over it but its become one of my most favorite tracks
5. A Better Place, A Better Time: 9/10 a bit long but its great, slow opening and slowly picks up speed and erupts into a nice ska tune
6. We Are the Few: 9/10 prolly best song to see/hear live. kind of a tribal unity type thing i guess lol
7. Failing Flailing: 9/10 great first minute of pure instrumental, the end of the song with the sort of round robin thing is pretty cool too
8.Here's to life: 9/10 my second favorite track. heart pounding adrenaline with a beautiful bridge section with the horns
9. A Moment of Silence: 9/10 the beginning of the "doubletrack" i guess u could call it A Moment Of Silence/Violence.. my favorite song by this band.. basically about how catch 22 got famous off of toms songs and whatnot.. nice and slow track beautiful lines
10. A Moment of Violence: 9/10 after AMOS sets down a slow pace this song comes in and just knocks you over.. when they played these two live.. ppl who werent familiar with the band didnt realize what was about to erupt and were taken by surprise as the pits exploded.. great song to pump adrenaline
11. Saddest Song: 9/10 an Anti-Suicide song.. a popular theme in kalnoky's writing. on the demo the song ends and the horns do some little cool jazzy stuff
12. The Big Sleep: 9/10 a love song no doubt.. a good song to witness live while everyone shouts out the "na na na na na na"'s
in conclusion... this cd is the best thing that has happened to the east coast.. nay,planet earth. haha just buy the cd
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