Laugh
Band:
Keller Williams- Guitar, Vocals
Tye North - Bass
David Watts - Drums
Keller Williams most of the time is considered to be a one-man band. It was just up to the last few releases that he has started to play with other band members. His last album
Breathe was done with members of the String Cheese Incident. On this album he recruited Tye North from Leftover Salmon. And David Watts from the band Motet.
Keller Williams has been known to always have two things in his albums. One of those is odd lyrics. That can be about anything from the game show
the Price is Right to the tales of riding in a van. And the other thing he is know for are his acoustic guitar skills. He plays a very fabulous fingerpicking style similar to that of Michael Hedges and Leo Kottke. And it is not easy to play a style like that.
On with the songs:
1.
Freeker by the Speaker- The album starts off good with this song. The song is about people who are obsessed with music simply put. Especially clear with these lyrics:
Quote:
|
Freeker right by the speaker never seem to get enough priceless expression when space is possession like yeah, that's the stuff."
|
Along with the fabulous lyrics presented in the song. There's is some great instrumental skills by both Keller Williams and the rest of the band. They are playing some extremely fast guitar lines. And the bass is just almost staying right beside the guitar. Which I am sure is not easy. This is without a doubt a favorite song of mine
5/5
2.
One Hit Wonder - When the song starts off you hear Keller beatboxing which is something quite unexpected. This song is about one hit wonders as the title suggests. Its got a nice beat to it. But still I think it is just okay.
3.6/5
3.
Hunting Charlie - This is a kind of spacey/trippy instrumental track. A lot of swirly guitar effects are taking place throughout the entire song. It does have a nice groove and remains present. So it is a pretty good song.
4/5
4.
Alligator Alley - This is a really soothing kind of relax song. Reminds me of summertime. No really outstanding guitar parts here but thats okay because there is no way it would fit with the song. But there is a pretty good guitar solo. As I can tell this is just a song about swimming. Good song
4.5/5
5.
Spring Buds - On this track Keller shows that he does not always have to be strange and quirky to make a good song. The lyrics stand out because they're out of the ordinary for Keller. Another chill kind of relax song which is a good thing in this case. I think that the song is about the season spring. Which I'm guessing is his favorite season. Good song
4/5
6.
Mental Instra- Here is a really funky sorta track. It is strictly an instrumental. It is made up of mostly bass and guitar. Kind of like Freeker by the Speaker where they flow together nicely. Later on it gets a different riff and this riff just continues to speed up and speed up. And then the songs over. Good song.
4.5/5
7.
Vabeeotchay- I simply love the guitar work in here. This is a song about rollerblading in Virginia Beach, an interesting subject. This song is just great no matter what the subject is. The guitar work continues to be amazing until the end of the song, it is probaly his best guitar work off the entire album.GREAT song.
5/5
8.
Bob Rules - This is a song about the TV show The Price Is Right. It starts off with Keller saying "The price is wrong b
itch" It has sort of a Bluegrass feel to the song which is quite a change. The lyrics seem to be about a dream he had about being on the Price is Right. I love to hear Keller play these different guitar styles and no matter what seem to perfect them.
Amazing song
5/5
9.
Freakshow - This song stands out from the rest mostly because it is the only song on the album that has very little guitar on it. Because Keller Williams is very guitar oriented. I am not really sure what the song is about. But I think it may be about people thinking your weird. But I could be wrong.
3.9/5
10.
Gallivanting - Very simple rhythym and guitar work but very effective. The lyrics are really the center of this track. He shows off his poetic side, which he does very little of. Because he is probaly more comfortable with his weird side of the lyrics. I don't think that this song has a center thing that it is about. Good song.
4/5
11.
God is My Palm Pilot - I am pretty sure that this is just a filler track. Just a bunch of weird sounds and noises. Nothing special at all. Don't think there was a point when he made this though.
2/5
12.
Crooked - I find this song okay. The guitar is just decent. And the lyrics are alright it is just that they get a little repetitive over time. The only real standout is the wah solo something unexpected from Keller. There is also a horn solo at the end of the song but still this song just does not do it for me.
3/5
13.
Old Lady From Carlsbad- This sounds very close to a very odd country song. Something about talking to an old lady by the bus stop :lol: .
14. Kidney in a Cooler - This is probaly the bassiest song off the album. It has a great bassline and it is what holds the song together. If you listen to the lyrics on this song you can immediately tell that the song is about a roadtrip. And how they just wish they had something besides a van to ride in. And later on encountering an older lady with a kidney in a cooler.Another interesting story delivered by Mr. Keller Williams.
5/5
Overall this is a great album. I recommend this to everyone but especially to those who are fans of acoustic artists, jam bands, or odd rock.
Id give the album a :
4.5/5
