suburbantrashzine.blogspot.com
by Chris Mattern

Jim should feel special. I am a critic, I always have an opinion and I
never worry all that much about voicing it. Now when it comes to
friends, I generally never pull any punches. I don't hold back when it
comes to the people lowly enough to associate with me. Jim is somewhat
of a pen pal of mine/writting coach/editor over at Jersey Beat, so it
is safe to say he knows what to expect when I review a CD. I don't
think he expected me to review his album.... Jokes on Him!
Jim
threw a copy of his CD in with my reviewables and some stuff that he
thought I should check out, some old Husker Du and Replacements tunes.
As it turns out I really like Jim's 7 song CD, and find it to be
refreshingly funny and catchy enough to have been in my CD player for
about three hours now. I even know the words!

The first track
"Planet Willamsburg" is somewhat of an ode to the all too familiar
"urban revitalization" projects going on in many of our major cities.
Along with tounge in cheek jabs at today's yuppie culture such as "Bar
Tenders with Ph.D's - black rimmed glasses and goatee's" This song puts
a fun spin on an often times frustrating situation where neighborhoods
with character are being flushed out to make room for another Wifi
Cafe, moder art gallery and homey little book store. The song is
catchy, and even though I have never been there, I can almost picture
the Williamsburg that Jim sings about; that, if you ask me, is the
definition of a song that serves its purpose. Great organ sounds seal
the deal on this one.

"(I need the)Queer Eye(for the Straight
guy)" - Is a humorous song that shows us a guy that doesn't take
himself too seriously, which I always find endearing. This tune is a
great tip of the hat to pop culture, and knee slapping funny.(I guess I
can relate.)

"Punk Rock is Not a Day Care" - really is one of
funniest songs I have ever heard. Starting with the Buddy Holly esque
"oh whoa oh oh ohs" that have dominated pop punk since Screeching
Weasel, and before them The Dickies, complete with hilarious lyrics
pointing fun at today's younger aged punk rock scene, this song is
hands down great.

Punk Rock is not day care and it's getting old fast,
Ive been going to punk rock shows since i was just a little shmoe
but now they think im some kind of pederast

Hey there kid don't mean ya any harm
but next time bring your girlfriend instead of your mom
your a teenage rebel, your the king of the scene, and your gonna be something when ya turn 13!

PERFECT!!

"Everything
is Swell (in Weehawken)" is a great Johnny Cashesque song about the
town Jim lives in these days. I'm starting to wonder if Jim has some
kind of a personal issue with "urban revitalization" or in the very
least harbors a cynical yet romantic view of the area and Jersey in
general. I'll have to ask him, as I myself don't even recognize the
place I grew up when I visit.

"Sally's got a new tattoo" reminds
me so much of Jonee Earthquake that I can't believe Jim hadn't heard of
him when I brought Jonee up in an email. Fans of Jonee will love this
tune, and I'm sure Jim would love Jonee if he sat down and listened to Sixteen Greatest Hit's volume One or Two.

The
showpiece on this record is "Carla" a song Jim wrote for his mom. I
love the way he creates such honest imagery with almost tounge and
cheek humor. The honesty of this tune is it's appeal, and I absolutely
love it.

All and all I think this is an awesome little
independently produced CD. I think everyone should check it out and
give it a listen in the very least, I think it will leave you with a
smile on your face. It is nice to hear fun music!

I havent changed the songs on this page forever so I added two oldies recorded live at "Positively First Street," the monthly living room show at John Raido's apartment in Carlstadt.  And a song that will be on my next CD, which is actually a new version of a very old song that I wrote and sang with The Love Pushers back in the 1980's.

Check out this very cool podcast.  You can download it for your iPod or listen to it onling.  I'm one of this week's featured artists:

www.jerseytoddshow.com