In the 2023rd year of our lord, born of New York (possibly, or maybe he just lives there now, I’m not a historian) The Great Bobby Edge rose forth and produced his debut album, Algorithm and Blues, and a calm settled over the world and all was good (for a few brief seconds, before American made bombs dropped on somebody, I’m sure). This album was critically acclaimed (if you count me as a critic, and my appreciation for good music as acclaim) for its unique mix or traditional rhythm and blues, doo wop, and modern punk. Darkness swept the earth for 15 months before Bobby Edge released his first EP, “Ill at Breeze”. And then the shadow grew longer and darker. Nearly 2 years passed in this darkness before now. A new dawn rises. The sun brings warmth. The unique styling of Bobby Edge once again rises with the sun, and the days of doo wop punk have once again overcome the darkness. Five new tracks grace the airwaves as the birds rejoice with new songs as yet unchirped. Dirt Handsome has arrived (volume 1).
The album begins with “Animals that Bite”, which was also the first pre-release single, and I REALLY enjoy this song. It’s so catchy with some sing-song rhythms in the chorus. It has some great shoobie doo wops. Surprisingly, this is a rare song where I feel like the drums are my favorite part of the instrumentation- so shout out to Brad Conklin. The song is just over two minutes long, but it stays in my head all day long.
OK, “Strange Tales from New Jersey” is a really creative song, but it has a movie quote sample in it. It’s funny because I’ve often referred to this specific line as my least favorite in any movie ever, and people seem to largely not remember it. The line isn’t even played in the foreground of the song, and I have no idea why they added it, but its inclusion makes me love this song so much. “Some motherfucker is always trying to ice skate uphill”. The line comes right at the climax and ruins the entire movie for me. And if you know the movie it’s from, I’m sorry, I hate one of your favorite movies, but that reminder makes me love this song.
As far as the rest of the song, it’s kinda great. It has its own “whoa oh oh oh oh waa waa waa”with several tempo and pace changes, excellent stories, a vibraslap, and consecutive vocal story interludes. I don’t know what to say. The song has a little bit of everything. I don’t think it’s likely to be a favorite song, but it’s definitely one I want to hear every time I play the album. I want to sing along. I want to listen to the absurd, strange tales from New Jersey.
In fact, let me pause here and tell you my favorite “strange tale from New Jersey” from my own life. I wasn’t actually in New Jersey, but I was on a beach far from New Jersey, and I was talking to a girl from New Jersey. We saw a sea turtle, and she was blown away. She said, “I’ve lived on the Jersey shore my entire life, and I’ve never seen an animal in the water- except this one time that a shark washed up on the beach, and someone put a hypodermic needle under its fin, and someone else put a cigarette in its mouth, and it was starting to decompose.” Whoa-oh oh oh-ohh waa waa waa.
The third track is “Is that weed wrapped in a Wendy’s napkin”. I can’t quite figure out what this song is about; its meaning is too arcane, but it has such a cool punk/emo/indie feel with some beautifully sung vocals, and the synth by Neil Cotter absolutely makes this song phenomenal. The backing vocals and layered chorus are beautiful, making you want to sing along.
“Life is for the Living” is a short 90 seconds, but filled with terrific solos and is fairly catchy through the chorus. This song feels like it was written for the sake of getting people to show off their instruments and shred a little bit- and I approve.
The final song is “hoopla,” and it’s one of the most traditional-sounding punk songs in the Bobby Edge discography. The drums drive the rhythm quickly through most of the song. Nice melodic vocals, Simpsons references, and a little bit of fun on the guitar at the end, but it’s missing some of the doo-wop that makes most Bobby Edwards feel special. But by being more of a fast-paced punk song with melodic vocals, you can tell that the music stands well on its own without the traditional R&B or doo-wop influences. It’s just good music.
While two years isn’t a long time between albums, I have a feeling we won’t have to wait another two years for more Bobby Edge. Volume 1 in name seems to imply that work is already underway on volume 2, and I hope I’m right.
Written by Gimp Leg
