This is the debut album for Uber Cool Kung Fu, released through Omega Point Records in early 2005. Minneapolis is the home city for this band, consisting of Jesse Shaw, Shawn Phillips, Geoff Makousky (who joined the band after this cd was recorded), and Adam Powell. The first time I encountered this band was through the "Fall First" track on the first volume of the "Twin Cities Electropunk" compilation, and while that track isn't included here, the 10 original songs here do great justice to the UCKF sound.

The album kicks off in high gear with the high-energy Industrial punk of "Feel Nothing", which combines frantic drumming with even more frantic vocals (and the singing of the song's title in the background during the third verse is extremely effective). "Hollywood Kills", the following track, is a cynical view of how the entertainment industry tends to chew people up and spit them back out. It's also a track that simply demands radio play. A somewhat simple chorus, but remarkably catchy. "Letting Go" lowers the tempo a little, but keeps the intensity level very high (the words 'power ballad' crossed my mind, I will admit..). 

Actually, the tempo remains somewhat lower for the next few tracks. That's not to take anything away from them, as "Tonite", "Stained" and "Killing Game" are all very high quality songs, but I was a little surprised at the shift in the album. In fact, it's not until "Last Rites" that the pace picks back up, and that's just for the one song. It's a little surprising for a Electropunk album to feature so many upper-mid to mid-tempo songs, but they're still very enjoyable, so I can't complain. In fact, UCKF manages to keep even their most intense songs both very melodic and accessible, so the slower side of the band only emphasizes their excellent melodic skills. This album does occasionally show the flaws inherent in a first album that was recorded rather quickly (from what I can gather), but still is quite solid. Also, the album clocks in at around 38 minutes, so it's not packed to the gills, but at least avoids the truly irritating phenomenon of sub-30 minute albums. All that aside, Elektropunks rejoice.. another excellent band from the Twin Cities has unleashed a album you will love!
                            Read more...