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FORTRESS OF ATTITUDE
"The Gift of Music"
(Self-produced; 2008)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
The members of Fortress of Attitude are screenwriters who became impatient with waiting for Hollywood to produce their films so they took their stories to another medium instead: Music. The result, entitled "The Gift of Music," is a collection of songs most notable for their humor. The lyrics on the CD are hysterically funny, more often than not. Of course, with song titles like "P.S. Gay Car," "Dear Aerosmith" and "Living in a Haunted House," you might be expecting that.
Although the band has much in common with Jack Black's band, Tenacious D, they share style with many other, more serious, bands as well. The music on "The Gift of Music" runs from guitar ballad to classic rock anthem. And the music is serious and fresh, as Tenacious D sometimes isn't. Whereas Tenacious D will take every rock'n'roll cliche and crank it into overdrive, "The Gift of Music" sounds more like Elvis Costello or Joe Jackson. But, of course, with lyrics like "Dear Aerosmith, can you teach me how to drive a car?"
Speaking of cars, "P.S. Gay Car" is perhaps the funniest track here. It's the story of a note found on the band's car after a particularly lousy parking job. Funny stuff, indeed.
Overall, this CD is a lot of fun to listen to but may be the kind of CD you'll listen to time and time again. Still, the band is very talented (especially for a bunch of screenwriters) and "The Gift of Music" is probably much better than it should be. I mean, you've seen the reviews for Scarlett Johansson's CD, right?
Fortress of Attitude: Bomb Threat - demolitions; Dr. Genius - games and theory; Sniper Kitty - factical maneuvers; Colonel Mustard-Gas - chemical warfare.
For more information, check out http://www.myspace.com/fortressofattitude.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2008 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised:
16 Sep 2024 12:13:34 -0400.
