Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Iwrestledabearonce Continue To Defy The Word Genre


Iwrestledabearonce, also known to their fans as IWABO, is one of those bands that come along every so often that you listen to and scratch your head in disbelief. You question yourself, “Did I just hear what I thought I heard?” The five members of this Louisiana based band have taken the word genre and ripped it into shreds, while laughing hysterically the entire time. With an EP and one full length CD, they have managed to make people completely fall to their knees and worship them. Yet, they have made others rank them right up there with a visit to the dentist and visiting the DMV as things that they hate the most.

Their newest release is entitled Ruining It for Everybody and it seems as if the band that people either love or hate are not straying too far from their formula of intention. The band seems to be a bit more focused on this effort as compared to their full length debut entitled It’s All Happening. That album saw the band involve everything including the kitchen sink to create a cluster genre arrangement that almost defied description.

Ruining It for Everybody is definitely a progression for the band in some ways. I don’t really want to say that the band has “matured” on this release because their trademark sense of humor shows up in full force on here. Titles such as “You Know That Ain’t Them Dogs’ Real Voice” and “Karate Nipples” are an indicator that their sense of humor is still intact.

There are several surprises on the album. First and foremost would be the performance of lead singer Krysta Cameron. Her screams and growls that fans have come to know and love are still there, but her clean vocals will truly amaze you. Her singing voice is such a contrast to the aggressive nature of her normal vocal delivery. It is somewhat relaxing and goes to show that this girls chops, not karate but vocal, have really come a long way.

On “Deodorant Can’t Fix Ugly”, the band has branched out and included a gospel type choir on the song and believe it or not, it really works on this song. For a complete 180, “Karate Nipples” has a disco/techno breakdown in it too! “This Head Music Makes My Eyes Rain” is probably the one track that will baffle the true IWABO fans. It is quite somber and could be categorized by some as a ballad. I don’t think this will settle well with most fans even though it really showcases Krystal’s singing voice.

I do believe that IWABO has stepped their game up somewhat on this new album. Everything that fans have come to love about them is still left intact, but some aspects are only in moderation. There are still plenty of breakdowns, growls, random noises and humorous interjections. There are a few songs on here that are very short in length and do feel a little bit like filler material. Overall, I think the fans will love this new album. With its new found focus, some of the previous “haters” may actually switch sides and become fans of this unique band.


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