Review Summary: CSPULL pairs bold humor with politics and issues facing the world today to add to their ever unique sound.
After releasing three albums to mixed reviews, CSPULL has taken their sound one step further by choosing to incorporate the many issues plaguing our world within the chaos that is their music; the final product became their "CSPULL Conquers the World (Issues)" EP.
The album is kicks off with the blistering sounds of "Animal Cruelty". The first note of the track, and also the album, is but a symbol of the pain we, as humans, have been inflicting upon animals for centuries. Lawnee's sometimes nauseating voice follows in it's footsteps as the perfect sound to display the mispleasures of animals being wrongfully slaughtered. This voice carries on throughout the album, and melds perfectly with the innovative instrumentation of Lawnee and the band's other members, Kaelen Medeiros, Jordan Sabolish, and (then) Katie Watkins. It is a sound like nothing you've ever heard before... except of course on CSPULL's other albums. Their use of minimalism and a unique approach to the definition of modern music is a sigh of relief from the thousands of bands simply mirroring what they've been hearing through their stereo speakers for the last few years.
"Animal Cruelty" is followed by the widely controversial track, "Abortion!". This song is both a stab at conservative advertising preaching to "cure abortion" as if it is a contagious disease, as well as a plea for every woman's right to choose. The rage and dedication the band feels towards this issue is more than apparent in the pleasantly catastrophic melodies and outrageously performed vocalizations. All in all, this song is a 11 out of 10.
CSPULL sites an apparent "Rent" influence in their track covering the worldwide epidemic known as AIDS. Few bands have had the courage to speak about such a controversial subject in the 25+ years since it began making news headlines; CSPULL is one of those bands.
Possibly the most widely talked about issue in today's world is nothing else but global warming. The band 'conquers this issue' with ease; teaming both humor and obvious false positivity of Kaelen's backing vocals. Again, the bands unique sound brings a fresh twist to this overly debated topic.
The album ties up with an old but heavy issue; that of the one and only Adolph Hitler. CSPULL's prominent sense of humor shines bright even from the songs title, "Hilter"; a mistake twisted to bring new life to the song. This mix up took place during the song's recording, when Lawnee, whilst spelling out "Hitler" accidently spelled the fictious word "Hilter".
There are a unique array of sounds and instruments that make this a great album for people from many different backgrounds, who enjoy a mosaic of differing music types. Their bold sense of humor and strong politcal stances makes this not just a great disc for rocking out to, but also a great educational tool. This is definately CSPULL at their finest, a must have for any fan of music: old and new. "CSPULL Conquers the World (Issues)" reigns highest on my favorite albums of all time, and rightfully deserves a 5 out of 5.
