Klipspringer – Everyone Kisses Differently
http://www.myspace.com/klipspringer
Sprockett Records (www.sprockettrecords.com)
Bubblegum hardcore with a natural focus on the gum
Klipspringer’s fourth album, Everyone Kisses Differently, has the band barely flying under a parent’s radar to prevent that misunderstood teenager from having the album confiscated.
The album begins innocently enough with the radio-friendly “Hottest Girl on my Block” about the hot girl in the neighborhood that intimidates guys with her looks. In the song, singer Ty Kamm does his best Joey Ramone mixed with the pop punk sound of Blink-182 or Sum 41.
In “Phone World,” the album begins to lose its wholesomeness as band members angrily express their discontent with drivers who talk on their cell phones. With his throaty, death-metal growl, Kamm screams, “drive/ put down the phone and drive/die/put down the phone and die.”
The song does rock and would be enough to instigate a good mosh pit at a live show, but the subject matter doesn’t seem to justify that level of angst, assuming the intended message is not about irresponsible drivers, but about the overreactions of others toward those who drive and talk.
The red flag comes in the form of “Hate to Have to Kill Somebody.” An upbeat lounge tune with an un-credited female singer who sounds like Gwen Stefani if she were huffing helium, the song attempts to combine a pleasant laid back sound with dark, sinister lyrics. However, it comes across as derivative and too goofy to be disturbing.
“59 Priests Walking” (Minnesota Mix) is a mellow, euphoric instrumental tune with spacey keyboards. The slow, melodic guitar and bass perfectly compliment the dreamlike state.
Band members emerge from their pleasant dreams and randomly go off on the human race with a tale of how Jesus hates us. “I gave you evil and the rain/I gave you death, I gave you pain/don’t ever put your faith in me/I’ll strike you down and watch you bleed,” belts out Kamm as he self-assuredly speaks for God.
The final track performed by Klipspringer (the last two songs are by Ottre Pop and Blood Booger Combo, featuring members of Klipspringer), “Everyone Kisses Differently” is a mellow, piano-driven tune.
With whimsical lyrics like, “everyone kisses differently/everyone has something to show you/everyone kisses frequently/everyone has a mouth which to blow you/a sandwich to goad you/a planwich to snow you,” the song could have been written by Adam Sandler.
Klipspringer is a decent pop, punk band, but it seems as though the members are rebelling against the fact they are really a less successful version of The All-American Rejects.
In light of this, the occasional edgy, somewhat controversial lyrics come across as silly and out of place, which may be a perfect stepping stone of self-discovery for that misguided teenager.
David Miller
thedavid@independentclauses.com