Tracklist
1.circus act
2.cool aide
3.happy to be sad
4.john wilkes' isolation booth
5.tractor
6.green apples
7.closed captioned
8.trailer park
9.fresh air
10.p.c.
11.g-vibe
12.warren's song pt. 4
13.2 hot dogs for 99c
14.metal
15.pessimist
16.lazy
Bracket is a weird band to try and categorize; they're not quite pop-punk, they're not quite 90's alt rock, but they're definitely quite spectacular. They're one of those bands that you can easily pick out the era that they were a part of, but they don't seem necessarily dated. I don't come across much music with that characteristic, and since I'm a sucker for the 90s underground this band is relevant to my interests. While best known for having the song "2RAK005" featured in Tony Hawk's Underground, Bracket has an impressive back catalog, and 4 Wheel Vibe is a perfect example of this.
4 Wheel Vibe has nearly two full LPs worth of material on it with minimal filler; a particularly strong and ballsy sophomore effort for a band of their nature and sound. All of the songs on this album feature quirky chord progressions and unexpected melodic (anti-melodic?) twists, just when you least suspect them, which makes it one of the most interesting and rewarding albums I've ever heard that relies heavily on pop sensibility.
The album has a very varied (yet cohesive) feel to it: songs like "Green Apples" and "2 Hotdogs for 99c" are more straight up punk (with the latter even incorporating influences from 80s hardcore) while "Happy to Be Sad" and "Lazy" are contenders for some of my favourite alt-rock tracks from the decade. "John Wilkes' Isolation Booth" and "Trailer Park" are pop-punk counterbalances to most of the album and contain little surprises melodically but still work beautifully within the context of the album (or even on their own).
And as I prepare to hit send without proofreading this, I'd like to sign off for now with something about how I hate saying the 90s were my favourite decade for music because that usually lumps me in with all the silly folks who fellate Rob Thomas and the like (seriously, fuck Matchbox 20) and say that music today is way worse than it was a decade ago (these people are dumb - don't listen to them; listen to me, I have a blog - that means I'm important).
People are stupid. All people think all other people are stupid. Stupid people invariably think I'm stupid.
Just sayin', if you like Incubus, yer suspect.
Recommended Tracks: Trailer Park, Tractor, Green Apples (but the whole album is superb)
FFO; Jawbreaker, Knapsack, Local H, Weezer, hell, even the first Goo Goo Dolls album
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