_Gym Class Heroes - The Papercut Chronicles II (30/11/2011)
_
Throughout their discography, Gym Class Heroes have always been one of the more forward thinking
groups when it comes to producing their mish mash of hip-hop, rock and pop. The
Papercut Chronicles II continues this trend, but also sees the band
somewhat realign their sound more towards the mainstream audience, complete
with some sickly sweet guest spots. The result is essentially the template for
how to manufacture a string of successful singles with Gym Class Heroes
generally doing it in more tasteful fashion than most.
First single ‘Stereo Hearts’ is the perfect example of the aforementioned template. Featuring Maroon 5 vocalist Adam Levine in the chorus, ‘Stereo Hearts’ has been huge in terms of radio play and on face value is an insanely catchy song. However, on repeated listens it becomes grating and increasingly hard to sit through. Unfortunately, the same can be said for similarly minded songs to be found on the album such as ‘Life Goes On’ and ‘Ass Back Home,’ where both tracks become worn very quickly.
Elsewhere, The Papercut Chronicles II is quintessential Gym Class Heroes, moving between rapped verses to ultra catchy choruses in the blink of an eye and, for the most part, doing it quite well. However, the underlying flaw of the album is its replay value. Most will get sick of the obvious similarity in song structure throughout, ultimately resulting in the album getting old pretty quickly. A glass half full approach sees the album as chock full of potential hit singles, something already indicated by the runaway success of ‘Stereo Hearts.’ Similarly, ‘The Fighter’ with Ryan Tedder helping out on vocals is every bit as catchy as ‘Stereo Hearts’ and has radio hit written all over it, again sacrificing replay value for immediacy.
Tracks like ‘Material Girl$’ and ‘Nil Nil Draw’ see the band revert back to their roots, putting the focus on matching hip-hop with rock instruments rather than the big, attention grabbing choruses. The result is some of the more memorable songs to be found on the album, mixing their ever-witty lyrics with a slightly different take on the hip-hop genre.
Objectively speaking, behind the over the top pop hooks, there’s little redeeming value on The Papercut Chronicles, with almost all of the songs becoming stale and boring within a couple of listens. Despite this, Gym Class Heroes knew exactly what they were trying to achieve with The Papercut Chronicles II and they hit the proverbial nail on the head. If your partial to a bit of bubble gum pop every now and again, this record is the perfect place to start; however if the mere thought of auto-tuned vocals and rapped verses puts you into a fit of rage be advised to steer clear.
Billy Geary
First single ‘Stereo Hearts’ is the perfect example of the aforementioned template. Featuring Maroon 5 vocalist Adam Levine in the chorus, ‘Stereo Hearts’ has been huge in terms of radio play and on face value is an insanely catchy song. However, on repeated listens it becomes grating and increasingly hard to sit through. Unfortunately, the same can be said for similarly minded songs to be found on the album such as ‘Life Goes On’ and ‘Ass Back Home,’ where both tracks become worn very quickly.
Elsewhere, The Papercut Chronicles II is quintessential Gym Class Heroes, moving between rapped verses to ultra catchy choruses in the blink of an eye and, for the most part, doing it quite well. However, the underlying flaw of the album is its replay value. Most will get sick of the obvious similarity in song structure throughout, ultimately resulting in the album getting old pretty quickly. A glass half full approach sees the album as chock full of potential hit singles, something already indicated by the runaway success of ‘Stereo Hearts.’ Similarly, ‘The Fighter’ with Ryan Tedder helping out on vocals is every bit as catchy as ‘Stereo Hearts’ and has radio hit written all over it, again sacrificing replay value for immediacy.
Tracks like ‘Material Girl$’ and ‘Nil Nil Draw’ see the band revert back to their roots, putting the focus on matching hip-hop with rock instruments rather than the big, attention grabbing choruses. The result is some of the more memorable songs to be found on the album, mixing their ever-witty lyrics with a slightly different take on the hip-hop genre.
Objectively speaking, behind the over the top pop hooks, there’s little redeeming value on The Papercut Chronicles, with almost all of the songs becoming stale and boring within a couple of listens. Despite this, Gym Class Heroes knew exactly what they were trying to achieve with The Papercut Chronicles II and they hit the proverbial nail on the head. If your partial to a bit of bubble gum pop every now and again, this record is the perfect place to start; however if the mere thought of auto-tuned vocals and rapped verses puts you into a fit of rage be advised to steer clear.
Billy Geary