Cap'n Jazz
Shmap'n Shmazz

Release Date: 1994 | Tracklist

Time passes by at a fast rate, whether we like it or not. There are few strains of emotion that can catch a human in the web of continuity, but for the most part, it all feels so sudden. Those four years of high school that I once felt so confined and attached to are finally closing the velvet red curtains, yet it still feels like the first act has just begun. Though I feel maturity has swept me over like a gust of wind blowing away tumbleweed, I still believe there is a shadow of my teenage spirit begging to be released.

The immature acts that I once thrived off of our gone, but the memories linger. There is certain longevity of acts that I wish to forget while each day passes by, but nothing will ever be as fun as the years I once thought would never end. Capn’ Jazz fully rejuvenates that child inside me, and forces it to sing along to those same silly lyrics all over again. I find it funny how I always would tell my friends my taste in music is a lot more mature and subtle then the scene hip-hop and pop music they listen to, yet my ears would still beg to be quenched by such adolescent vocals and sloppy instrumentation. The truth is, there would be no fun in listening to the same artsy and serious music continuously. I still indulge myself to the serious corners of music, but I also believe there needs to be a balance of music between melancholy and thought provoking music to the fun and enjoyable music that the listener can sing along to and smile too. Capn’ Jazz does not try to pertain poetic structures that would make Robert Frost clap in his grave. They instead focus on being as enjoyable to the youthful spirit as possible.

Instrumentation is sloppy and unorganized, but may come off as fool’s gold for an angsty teenager. Little effort was put into making a solid song structure. Most likely, Tim Kinsella probably said “to hell with crisp clean instruments” and told his band to thrash about as much as possible. This isn’t to say that they are not well done, as most of the wild shenanigans of Capn’ Jazz sound increasingly energetic and they prosper with Tim’s juvenile vocal performance. It reminds me of all the stupid things I did as a kid. They were thoughtless, careless, and most of all pointless, but it gave me one hell of a thrill. This album serves as a permanent reminder to all those people who wish they could live as a child all their lives that we need to know our fun is still around, but not in the same visible places as before.

I still feel obligated to say that this album is a growing memorial of what I once lived by. The music is just like I remembered it a long time ago, just an immensely fun and simple album to enjoy on a lazy day. The lyrics may not make any sense at some points (kitty cat), and the instruments can get out of control without having a set focus on when enough is enough, but I feel this would not have left such a positive impact on music without all of this. For an album said to have created the entire emo genre, there sure is a lot of nostalgia wrapped around its flimsy edges. Pick this up if you want to remember what it feels like to be a kid again, as it is an excellent statement that tells the listener growing old is only a reality.

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4.2 excellent

Rank: #23 for 1994