Almost...

One of the most disappointing things is coming across albums that are almost amazing. Bands that exhibit such promise yet lack that unnameable something come off more disappointing than if the music were actually bad. I think it's somewhere in the analytical process when you realize how good something almost is, it becomes a stigma, and you're unable to get past it.

Forgive Durden, for example. The album 2006 album, Wonderland, houses characteristics of a band I should for certain love. There's a theatric element present to the point that there are carnival-esque sounding moments made by rock instruments, not commonly done (whether that was intent or thrift, I'm unsure, but it's cool), constant allusions to the fantastical imagination of Lewis Carroll, and an all around solid sound, from vocals to hooks to song structure. But something's missing.

With forgive Durden, the idea is better than the execution. I think everything about the record is great, but just not quite three. The vocals aren't as strong or prevalent when the need to be, in those moments, the music doesn't take over as it should. The production definitely needs tweaking. Perhaps when something's so close to being on an upper level, each small misgiving seems more monumental that it should. Plan on listening to this band more to see if it grows further on me, or if it's destined to be one of the "almost was" records.

Similar comments about the late Pistolita, except that I can really get into most of the album. At times, Oliver Over The Moon, the band's only full length, sounds homogeneous, which distracts from the overall greatness of the record. Oliver Over The Moon's a very solid listen, and mostly delivers on it's promise of the band's potential, but again, these slight misgivings attributed to a perceived great concept make the negatives seem far larger than they are. Pistolita had this very cool early-My Chemical Romance meets Weezer sound that cleverly avoided directly sounding like either band. I highly recommend them. "Beni Accident" is still my favorite track, I think. Possibly because it's the catchiest. "Papercut" and "Fadawhite" are pretty great too.

With Monsta Island Czars, though, it's more just general disappointment given the excellence of the main contributors and the overall awesomeness of the concept of the group's identities. The original line-up of this underground hip-hop supergroup featured celebrated members such as MF Doom and MF Grimm. The actual current line-up (as Doom and Grimm apparently have a rivalry going on now for reasons unknown to me) is sort of up in the air and there is speculation as to whether or not the entity known as "Monsta Island Czars" will come out with another release.

I'm a huge fan of Daniel Dumile, who, amongst many other aliases, performs as MF Doom or King Geedorah, a completely unique artist in a genre that's been xenophobic the last few years. His King Geedorah moniker heavily uses the mythology of the Toho Godzilla films, which turn out far more amazing than one would be lead to believe.

So an entire group dedicated to the idea? Sounds amazing. Unfortunately, not all the members of the group are as stellar to listen to, which brings the album down heavily. There are some noteworthy tracks, but the project as a whole suffers from not trimming away the fat due to likely friendships.

Sad days indeed. If anyone has similar experiences..feel free to contribute.