Album Review- The Cool Kids- When Fish Ride Bicycles
I'm a fan of the sound the Cool Kids have, but I must admit most of their songs aren't about anything. Unlike most rappers today though they have an identifying sound that you can rock to. Their outlandish style is a throwback to the days of Redman and the Def Squad.
The album starts off in the normal Cool Kid fashion with some serious throwback bass beats made for the old school whips with big boxes in the back on both "Rush Hour Traffic" and "GMC's". The flows remain tight and they actual flip their words better than before while sticking mostly to the topics of whips and how the music is going to bump in them. The duo attempts a different sound vocally on "Freak City" with mixed results. The single that was released a while back is the head knocking "Bundle Up"
"Sour Apples" features Travis Barker as a return for them being on his album but the track isn't as good. "Boomin" featuring Tenneville has a weird funk/ late 90's feel to it and it fits with TCK but it probably won't be widely received positively. Fittingly, Ghostface is the featured guest on "Penny Hardaway" which has no subject to speak of but the bars are plenty decent and the beat isn't the best or the worst. Bun B gets "Gas Station" started off on a good foot with the simple part of the beat before the hook comes in and takes the song to another level. on "Swimsuits" the kids hop on something that sounds different and speed up their flow. The hook is handled by "Mayer Hawthorne" and could be a song that works on top 40 radio if given the chance. The crew track "Roll Call" features Asher Roth Boldly James and is some true underground shit. the final song on the lp is "Summer Jam" with Maxine Ashley and is merely alright.
I'm not a fan of "Get Right" as it conjures a not so fond retro memory. "Flying Kites" is about smoking weed of course and the beat is once again a little weird possibly but the song still works. "Talk of the Town" is rambling over a slow beat and doesn't do too many favors for the group as they tell a story of coming up.
Overall the Cool Kids are a decent little group but they will never be considered the best. They're like a hipster "Mobb Deep" for the new generation. At times their own peculiar sound works very well but some of the attempts to step out of that box don't come off so well. "Talk of the Town" could have been better but the all over the place delivery makes things hard to follow. The beats overall bang for the most part especially at the beginning with the heavy bass lines. Check it out if you have the time.
Rating: 2.5/5
The album starts off in the normal Cool Kid fashion with some serious throwback bass beats made for the old school whips with big boxes in the back on both "Rush Hour Traffic" and "GMC's". The flows remain tight and they actual flip their words better than before while sticking mostly to the topics of whips and how the music is going to bump in them. The duo attempts a different sound vocally on "Freak City" with mixed results. The single that was released a while back is the head knocking "Bundle Up"
"Sour Apples" features Travis Barker as a return for them being on his album but the track isn't as good. "Boomin" featuring Tenneville has a weird funk/ late 90's feel to it and it fits with TCK but it probably won't be widely received positively. Fittingly, Ghostface is the featured guest on "Penny Hardaway" which has no subject to speak of but the bars are plenty decent and the beat isn't the best or the worst. Bun B gets "Gas Station" started off on a good foot with the simple part of the beat before the hook comes in and takes the song to another level. on "Swimsuits" the kids hop on something that sounds different and speed up their flow. The hook is handled by "Mayer Hawthorne" and could be a song that works on top 40 radio if given the chance. The crew track "Roll Call" features Asher Roth Boldly James and is some true underground shit. the final song on the lp is "Summer Jam" with Maxine Ashley and is merely alright.
I'm not a fan of "Get Right" as it conjures a not so fond retro memory. "Flying Kites" is about smoking weed of course and the beat is once again a little weird possibly but the song still works. "Talk of the Town" is rambling over a slow beat and doesn't do too many favors for the group as they tell a story of coming up.
Overall the Cool Kids are a decent little group but they will never be considered the best. They're like a hipster "Mobb Deep" for the new generation. At times their own peculiar sound works very well but some of the attempts to step out of that box don't come off so well. "Talk of the Town" could have been better but the all over the place delivery makes things hard to follow. The beats overall bang for the most part especially at the beginning with the heavy bass lines. Check it out if you have the time.
Rating: 2.5/5
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