wordplay by Cassandra Hood
Tragic memories of gym class, with burley girls—too gargantuan to be girls, and boys that think they are hot sh!+. It was always the scrawny teenager that was picked last for dodgeball, and, when it all went down, he was used as target practice for everyone, including the people on his team. Gym Class Heroes’ new album As Cruel as Schoolchildren not only saves the scrawny teenager but rockets the balls back at his attackers.
As a hip-hop band, the Heroes break through the typical and show people that mixing real music with MC raps not only gives them a natural, raw sound, but sets them apart from all the other stereotypical looped hip-hop. With an actual drummer, guitarist, and bassist, the band impresses with their ability to actually play what other groups fake.
MC/singer Travis McCoy also exceeds the “normal” MC duties by breaking into melodic singing. In “4th period: Clothes Off!” the band showcases how they mix rapping with high-pitched wailing that has a Daft Punk, Euro-dance techno sound to it
Overall, As Cruel as Schoolchildren gives people a little bit of everything: from poetic spoken word raps on the three “Sloppy Live Jingles” to the almost Latino-sounding “Viva La White Girl.” Some songs sound inspired by jazz, but each song showcases a different talent. Let the Gym Class Heroes save your day.
September 29 @ The Marquis Theater |