Don McCloskey is Laying Down the Big D in Bombs Over Bristol

Overall:

This CD is like A Weekend at Bernie’s.  This isn’t a serious CD.  If your looking for something very serious and thoughtful, i.e. a Jill Scott CD, this is not for you.  However, if you want some good old fashioned college level debauchery and a couple of lighthearted messages about a vagabond musician whose a poor man’s pimp, then Don McCloskey’s CD is for you.  Buy. 

Up In This 

It’s college rap for frat boys and sorority girls.  It’s Asher Roth to bango and drums.  The lyrics are girls, weed, trouble, and “baby batter.”  It’s kitchy and cute, it’s rap without being dangerous.  It’s NWA without the N, and a lower case A. White kids across America would dance hardily and there’s nothing wrong with that.  But it’s a novelty item, like Asher Roth now or Josephine Baker’s earlier work. Grade:  Decent.

Apocalypservice 

A harmonica, a bango, and a Bob Dylan-esque message modernized and a Dylan-esque delivery, mixed between talking and singing.  It’s actually good.  You get the feeling he’s not imitating Dylan but rather inspired by him.  Grade:  Entertaining and good.

Live From the Other Side  

It’s a great song about being a broke but happy artist with a little Loki thrown in.  Kids that like Schwayze and Sublime will like this song.  It’s for a car ride up to Tahoe, built to chill.  Grade:  Chillax.

Don’t Tango With The Freak Show 

A vaudeville-esque work with a verse spit in the middle and a bunch of THC-induced-mixed-with-a-shot-of-whiskey guitar, piano, and drums.  Grade:  Laid-back

Funk University

A little electric guitar and a porno-hook sung by a narrow ranged young lady.  This guy loves chicks and he’s not afraid to talking about being sexually active to say the least.  Grade:  A bit over the top, but aiight.  Not all right.  Aiight.

Happy So Happy

An instrumental track that is substandard.  There is nothing intriguing about the melody, rhythm, or anything else for that matter.  It doesn’t really stand up to the title and Don doesn’t seem to have the skill to make the guitar say what he means.  His instrument is his voice and he refuses to use it in this case, therefore, … Grade:  Subpar.

Lower Your Standards

A little techno beat with some Southeast Asian-esque guitar thrown in.  An attack on radio programmers, with a hook “You’ll have a much better time listening to the radio if you just get a lobotomy.”  Then Don gets into something he’s a lot more familiar with, women.  His verse gets into a little sex-addicted advanced Dr. Seuss.  After a while though you start thinking, “Is there anything else?”  Grade:  Okay.

That Love Card 

Don talks about being broken hearted in his lighthearted fashion but this time without being flippant.  It’s an honest song with a set of compatible lyrics.  What actually interesting about this song is the fact that he’s not in the process of pain, but he’s actually healed from it.  A much needed and solid change up.  If he can keep it going this CD may actually turn out to be kinda exemplary.  Grade:  Substantial.

Bombs Over Bristol

The song starts with some discordant electric guitar but quickly gets on track.  The music sounds like a depressed Offspring track.  Halfway through the song one begins to wonder, what the fuck is the point of this song, and why is the album titled after it?  It points at the juxtaposition between the fascade and the often cynical reality.  It’s cool once you get that but if you have to listen to a song twice to understand what it’s talking about … Grade:  Okay player.

Mr. Novacaine

A song about someone who Don apparently met who had a rough life because of his goodness.  The song is a tribute and a semi-warning full of adult lessons no one teaches you.  A decent song, substantive but the message is a bit murky due to some weak writing.  But not bad.  Grade:  Aiight.

King of Discount Ho’s

Very entertaining.  Don should do more storytelling.  Even though he falls easily into tales of debauchery (Too Short would be proud) this song is an original.  He quickly recounts a variety of broke down girls.  You’ve gotta buy this CD just for this song.  Grade: Superior.

Ending the Mission

An introspective song about ending a relationship, ending other people’s expectations of oneself.  It’s a good song.  Grade:  Solid.


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