Ty Listens to "Paradiso"

The Sloppy Boys released a new record “Paradiso” last week, and boy was it much needed. I like this band, I think the guys are funny, but I also appreciate the music they make. They are fun, they remind me of summer and, while this whole year has been a totally dumpster fire, their music lets me forget for thirty minutes about what is going on outside. They make fun music that just grooves. I didn't know they were making another new record either, but I guess, just like the rest of us, they have a ton of free time, so why not, right.

This album, much like their first two, is swift, charming and funny. There are songs about drinking, drugs, getting laid and having a good time, which is what I have come to expect from them. But what I didn't really see coming was how much better they are getting at their instruments. I also dig the fact that they have thrown a sax on a few songs. They are branching out, and I like that. I also have become very accustomed to Tim Kalpakis' voice, and I am a tried and true fan. I fully enjoy when he is the lead singer. Don't get me wrong, Mike Hanford is a solid singer too, and Jeff Dutton throws in some solid backing vocals, but I am a Kalpakis guy.

The opening track, "One Last Bender" sets the table perfectly, and Kalpakis' voice is front and center. It is a fun song about getting hammered. It's great. The next song, "We're Gonna Get You Laid" is funny, and it takes the perspective of a guy trying to help a girl get laid. I think that is pretty cool, and the song is rad. "Breakfast at Bellevue" features Kalpakis on lead vocals, and has a very cool build up at the beginning. Then it morphs into their surfer summer rock style they have locked down. "Out on the Town" is like an old school 80's rap song. It has neat keyboards, funny vocals and hearing them do a song like this makes me laugh and groove at the same time. It is a good song to run to as well. "The Mastah Bong Ripper" is like Black Sabbath meets the Count from "Sesame Street". This song is so weird and so awesome. It's also hilarious the way they put it out on the record. It is totally different from anything they've done to this point, and I love it. It is my favorite song on the record at the moment. "Armageddon" is like a tribute to both Billy Joel and Bruce Willis. They sing and play it in classic waltz style, all the while talking about friends that have grown up and stopped drinking and have families, but they also mention Bruce Willis movies. It is great. "Little Miss Socialite" is a song that could easily be played on pop radio today if pop radio were cool. It has some nice distorted guitar in it, and the lyrics are solid. "Oh Yeah" is more of a classic rock song. It has banging drums, good quality guitar and Mike Hanford bringing it with his voice. The song is all about yelling the phrase "Oh Yeah" also. That is what I love about this band. They are good, but they don't take themselves too seriously. They play music for fun and just happen to be good at it. "College Night" is the longest song on the record, coming in at over six minutes, and it starts with Tim Kalpakis just naming colleges, and then they get into the meat of the song. It starts with distorted guitars, and then shifts to acoustic, with some nice little riffs thrown in, and Kalpakis singing about what college students do at night time. It is kind of sweet if I do say so. This is akin to "Classic New York Night" from their last record. It is an anthem type song, and it sounds like an ode to something bigger. But when you listen to the words, it is pure comedy. I love that they do one song like this on their records. It is almost as assured as their surf rock sound. "Full Blown Free for All" is the closer, and it sounds like the closer to a rocking record. It is fast paced with fast singing and it closes out this new album perfectly.

I really like “Paradiso”. I am a Sloppy boys fan, or Slophead as we are now known. I am happy they made a new record also. It is a nice detour from the real world, and I appreciate that they keep making music. I definitely recommend this record. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.  

Ty Listens to " Dancing on the Wind"

A couple of weeks ago The Sloppy Boys, Mike Hanford, Tim Kalpakis and Jefferson Dutton, all from The Birthday Boys, and several written comedy shows, released their second album, "Dancing on the Wind". They did the podcast go round to promote the record, and played some live songs while appearing on the pods I listen to. I was a fan of their first album, and I figured, with a little extra work, and touring they did, the second record would be even better.

I was right. I adore this album. I can put it on at any time of day and it will bring a smile to my face, and I will happily sing along to the songs. I love how solid they all are as musicians, and the fact that they are good at comedy, it makes the lyrics to the song so much more enjoyable for me. None of these guys had to do much to win me over, I watched both seasons of Birthday Boys on IFC, and have followed their comedy careers since, and Mike Hanford as John Lennon is one of the best comedy bits that I hope never ends. But, on "Dancing on the Wind", they made me like them that much more.

The record starts out great with "Santa Ana Winds". It is a straight forward, some may say pop, some may say punk, song that is as funny as it is good. The music is solid, the lyrics are hilarious, especially when they talk about drying off a body part with a Dyson blade, and the song is a tight 2 minutes and 40 seconds. You get the feel right off the bat that The Sloppy Boys knew exactly what they wanted to do with this record, and "Santa Ana Winds" is a great jumping off point. The second song, "Lifeguard Life", is not only my son's favorite song, but he cracks up every time he hears it. It is about as perfect as a summer guitar surfer song can get. Mike Hanford nails the lyrics, and the instrumentation behind it is wonderful. From there on out, this record has some solid hits. One of my favorites, and my wife's for that matter, is "I'm Taken". We have both asked each other, on separate occasions, what Kalpakis' wife must think of this song. I think she loves it, my wife seems to think that she thinks it is hilarious. It is a great song either way. "Give it Up" is awesome. I like that they use distorted guitars, and the song has a build to the chorus that always gets me. When they finally reach it, I am fully on board. "Radio Dayze" is ridiculous and hilarious and perfect for someone my age. Hanford sings the song about all the "good" music he used to listen to on the radio, and he name checks people and bands like Master P, Avril Lavinge, Train, Limp Bizkit and Incubus, among many others. It is a riot. "East Coast Wedding" and "Smashing the Plates" have similar tones, and they are both about messing stuff up. They both rule as well. "The Bands" is a riot. I love "Slop Head", and have taken to calling myself one, and my wife called me one the other day when I put this album on in the car. But my favorite song on the whole record is "Classic New York Night". It might be their longest song to date, but it is awesome. It has that build up that I mentioned before, but it actually makes me want to visit New York City, something I never thought was possible. They make it sound so damn cool. And I now know that "no trains go to Staten Island", from my many listens to the song.

This whole album is really good, and totally worth a listen. If you know of these guys, or are familiar with their work, you will love this record. But, I played it for a buddy of mine who listens to punk rock, and who had no idea who these guys were, and he loved it. He told me that fact the other day. Go check out "Dancing on the Wind" by The Sloppy Boys. It is pure summer music, it is funny, it is fun, but above all else, it is really good.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Much like Homer, Ty does not want to go to New York City due to the problems with pimps and C.H.U.D.S.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.