Review Summary: The timeless capsule of nostalgic teenage years.
11 of 11 thought this review was well writtenI remember the first time I heard a preview track from The Legion of Doom’s highly overlooked and underrated mash-up album. It seriously feels just like yesterday “I Know You Buried Last Summer” blasted through the PA System at a local venue I still attend. I was patiently waiting for the final act to hit the stage when I immediately stopped chatting to sing along with Senses Fail's most popular hit at the time. Then Taking Back Sunday’s vocals started to flow out of nowhere leaving me very intrigued. When the track concluded I was dead set on discovering who came up with the brilliant idea to merge two bands that clearly defined my adolescence.
I had absolutely no way of preparing for the holy grail of high school jams I was about to stumble upon in the midst of my search. It’s as if my eyes deceived me when I read about the whole foundation behind the
Incorporated inception. The aspiring creative project was to set up a blueprint that would stitch together some of the most influential alternative bands to hit the scene in the new millennium. The brainchild belonged to none other than Chad Blinman and Trever Keith of the California punk band Face To Face. In the endeavor they single handedly birthed a flawless collection of hybrid tracks from a whole slew of top contenders mostly in their prime.
After some minor setbacks, due to a few sour grapes used on the album,
Incorporated saw the light of day at the beginning of 2006. It was the perfect storm when I got my hands on a digital copy because that year was full of memories before adulthood reared its ugly head. The unique blend of artists pit against each other fill in beautiful pictures as if the different pieces were always from the same jigsaw puzzle. Sprinkled in between the random drum and bass sections are peculiar samples from a 1950 black and white movie called “This Charming Couple.”
It’s certainly a mystifying electronic experiment that very smoothly reforms the source material without deferring the impact of the originals. The stand out offerings that exemplify this in pristine condition are: “Dangerous Business Since 1979 (Mewithoutyou Vs. Underoath),” The Quiet Screaming (Dashboard Confessional Vs. Brand New),” and Dottie in a Car Crash (The Get Up Kids Vs. Thursday).” Honorable mentions are scattered throughout the rest of the tracklist but you honestly can’t go wrong with anything presented on the album as it’s broken down.
I do not advise skipping all over the place because this is definitely an accumulated effort that’s most effective in its rightful sequence. There is the inclusion of three notable rappers on the identical number of tracks containing an impressive lyrical flow, which succeeds in adding even more flavor to the mix. Perhaps it’s merely my time warp goggles but considering the acclaimed crossovers I highly doubt young’ins will fail to see the significance
Incorporated showcases. This album is truly a personal landmark of mine that transports back to carefree moments of the past when everything seemed bright, shiny, and new.
