Mindless Self Indulgence seems like a love-it or hate-it band. Their style is, for the most part, unlike anything else. It's vulgar, rough, unrelenting, and I love it. Many decry the band for seeming to rely on crude humor alone, the entire act seeming like a huge joke... but the band never asked to be taken seriously. They ridicule their fans at shows, write songs about subjects such as five year-old panty-shots and dicks for friends... If they didn't want to be seen as a joke, they'd be stupid in their approach. They're anything but stupid. Much of their work is actually rather clever satire, some prime examples being "Backmask" and "You'll Rebel To Anything (As Long As It's Not Challenging)."
The first two albums, Tight (rereleased in 2011 as Tighter) and Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy are something of an acquired taste for most- they're the strangest sounding releases. Personally, they're my favorites. They have a very unique sound, combining the standard instruments like guitar, drums, and bass with synths and Atari bleeps and boops. Jimmy Urine, the band's frontman and singer, has vocal talent that cannot be overlooked- he jumps from metal-style screams and growls to rapping to a glass-shattering falsetto faster than one can blink. Most of the music is very fast-paced, with few of the songs exceeding the 2:00 mark. It keeps any one song from becoming stale, and leaves you wanting more.
You'll Rebel To Anything is where the band's sound starts to "mature" noticeably. It's less to my taste than Tight or FGWSSS; most of the songs are longer, and the ADHD-like nature of the older music has been toned down to be easier to digest. However, it's still an excellent album, and I do recommend it.
If... My standpoint on this album is shaky. The music is very different from what MSI put out in their first few albums. It's certainly more approachable by the masses; the band's more popular than ever, which is largely a good thing. However, the music on this album lacks much of what makes me love MSI. Frantic, eccentric style? Nope. Piercing falsetto? Not much. Amusing vulgarity? Well... it does take Refuge In Audacity, but rather than being rather clever, it feels like the band was just trying to make the younger crowd laugh.
Can't Be Compared To Anything Else.
Mindless Self Indulgence seems like a love-it or hate-it band. Their style is, for the most part, unlike anything else. It's vulgar, rough, unrelenting, and I love it. Many decry the band for seeming to rely on crude humor alone, the entire act seeming like a huge joke... but the band never asked to be taken seriously. They ridicule their fans at shows, write songs about subjects such as five year-old panty-shots and dicks for friends... If they didn't want to be seen as a joke, they'd be stupid in their approach. They're anything but stupid. Much of their work is actually rather clever satire, some prime examples being "Backmask" and "You'll Rebel To Anything (As Long As It's Not Challenging)."
The first two albums, Tight (rereleased in 2011 as Tighter) and Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy are something of an acquired taste for most- they're the strangest sounding releases. Personally, they're my favorites. They have a very unique sound, combining the standard instruments like guitar, drums, and bass with synths and Atari bleeps and boops. Jimmy Urine, the band's frontman and singer, has vocal talent that cannot be overlooked- he jumps from metal-style screams and growls to rapping to a glass-shattering falsetto faster than one can blink. Most of the music is very fast-paced, with few of the songs exceeding the 2:00 mark. It keeps any one song from becoming stale, and leaves you wanting more. You'll Rebel To Anything is where the band's sound starts to "mature" noticeably. It's less to my taste than Tight or FGWSSS; most of the songs are longer, and the ADHD-like nature of the older music has been toned down to be easier to digest. However, it's still an excellent album, and I do recommend it. If... My standpoint on this album is shaky. The music is very different from what MSI put out in their first few albums. It's certainly more approachable by the masses; the band's more popular than ever, which is largely a good thing. However, the music on this album lacks much of what makes me love MSI. Frantic, eccentric style? Nope. Piercing falsetto? Not much. Amusing vulgarity? Well... it does take Refuge In Audacity, but rather than being rather clever, it feels like the band was just trying to make the younger crowd laugh.
Overall? I highly recommend them.