Search - Catch 22 :: Dinosaur Sounds

Woefully underrated.

Cenate Pruitt | 11/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How bad must it be to be the members of Catch 22? Despite having hands-down the best rhythm section in ska today (the dynamic duo of Chris Greer on drums and Pat "Mingus" Kays on bass), great songwriting, and loads of talent, the six-man group is forced to forever dwell in the shadow of their debut, 1997's "Keasbey Nights", admittedly a masterpiece of the genre.



"Dinosaur Sounds" is not "Keasbey Nights". In fact, the two albums are almost as far removed as two albums by the same artist can possibly be. (Of course, the departure of songwriter Tomas Kalnoky following the release of "Keasbey" certainly changed things.) Where "Keasbey" was a full-tilt ska assault, "Dinosaur" is the end result of one band's progression from a bunch of high school kids obsessed with girls and guns into a group of adults facing a very different world from the one they started in.



The album certainly lacks the almost-trademark bleakness of Catch 22's first two releases, with the peppy "Chin Up" almost encouraging... wonder of wonders, positivity! Vocalist Ryan Eldred breaks into an almost Elvis Costello-like sound on this album, which is certainly no insult.



If this album had been released by a rookie band, it still would have flown under mainstream radar, but given some fans' utter unwillingness to accept change, "Dinosaur Sounds" will remain a buried treasure, overshadowed by a single album seven years ago.



Five stars.



-HX"

Fans who ignore this record are missing out on a classic

S. Brown | Alpharetta, Ga United States | 05/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can understand why alot of people were upset about this album. This is Catch 22's third line-up change, and thier biggest change in sound. While Keasby Nights and Alone in the Crowd were pretty much consistent in style and song-writing, Dinosaur Sounds is totally different from anything Catch 22 has ever recorded.



While listening to this record, the first thing you will notice is that Dino Sounds is more of a "rock with horns" album than a punk/ska record. Sax player Ryan Eldred takes over lead vocals, and trumpeteer Kevin Gunther sings on a couple songs as well. Ryan and Kevin's voices compliment each other very nicely. You can hear the definite influence of weezer, sublime, and NOFX throughout the album. The topics of the songs now focus on rock and roll staples like romance and drinking (although there is also an anti-war song).



So is this a bad album? Not by a long shot. Despite the bieng attacked by many of the band's fans, this album is on par with anything else they have ever recorded, as long as you take into account the fact that this album is a different style of music bieng played by a different line-up. Fans who ignore this record are missing out on a classic.



And there are just so many songs that make this album great. "Wine Stained Lips," is a bouncy love song with a guitar solo (rare for a ska song). "Good Times" sounds almost like a Sublime song. "So Cold" seems to be an attack on Streetlight Manifesto, and "Beguile the Time" is an anti-war song. "Chin Up" contains an uplifting message during the chorus -- "chin up until it touches the moon, sad and forsaken one, it's you I'm talking to."



However, there are three really great songs on this record that stand out above all the rest. "Motown Cinderella" is a beautiful song about bieng caught in a romantic triangle. Ryan's vocals are especially powerfull and heartfelt on this track, which climaxes with a beatiful, almost big band style jazz ending. The horns are all wailing like mad while Ryan is screaming his heart out for this girl who gives him "the kind of love I can sing about."



"Dripping Faucet" contains all the anger and agression that made the first two Catch albums so great. The lyrics are about laying awake at night doing some heavy soul-searching. A "dripping faucet" is used as a metaphor for a problem in your life that you are unsure of how to deal with. Musically, this track is virtually flawless. The horn line is one of the catchiest on the album, the guitar and bass play off of each other with stunning ease, and the song climaxes with a horn break-down so sick that its almost as good as sex.



The last stand-out track on Dino Sounds, and perhaps the best one, is "Lamont's Lament," an instrumental featuring a good 2 minutes of nothing but kick @$$ ska. This is the probably the best horn work featured in a Catch 22 song, and easily the best Catch 22 instrumental. "Lamont's Lament" is pure magic.



There are couple of songs on here that aren't very good, such as "Regression" and "chasing the moon," which don't add much to the album. The biggest flaw of all though, is the track listing. For the life of me, I cannot understand why the band decieded to put "Rocky" and "Beguile the Time" first. Perhaps they wanted people to hear Ryan's vocals right off the bat, but it really doesn't flow very well. During live performances, Catch 22 usually opens with Lamont's Lament, and then plays Rocky. If Dino Sounds was edited this way, it would be a stronger record.



So there you have it -- my review of Dinosaur Sounds by Catch 22. Not a perfect album, but a darn good one. More than anything else, Dinosaur Sounds is a fun listen and it really just grooves. It's laid back, it's inquisitive, and it's got great vocals. Although the album was attacked by many of the bands fans, I still consider it a solid record from start to finish. Recommended for any ska kid or lover of music."

CATCH22, THEY ROCK

S. Brown | 12/11/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Buy the CD, judge for yourself. If you are looking for Keasby Nights all over again, go get yourself another copy of it and stop moaning. If you want fresh new sounds with the same AWESOME band, go buy yourself Dinosaur Sounds. Catch 22 ROCKS!!"