Track listing
Show track credits
- 1 Steal My Sunshine 4:25
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Mumble Cproducer, engineering
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mixing
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mixing assistant
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Marc Costanzowriter
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writer
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guitar, voice
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voice
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- 2 Cryptik Souls Crew 4:24
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Mumble Cproducer, engineering
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mixing
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additional engineer
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additional engineer
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mixing assistant
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Marc Costanzowriter
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P. Raewriter
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writer
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Obe Oneperformer
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Vandalperformer
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performer
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performer
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KNGperformer
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performer
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performer
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Symbolikperformer
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D. Rockperformer
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Planet Pea aka Kudu 5performer
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cutting engineer
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cutting engineer, beats
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- 3 Man of the Year 5:07
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Mumble Cproducer, engineering
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mixing
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mixing assistant
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Marc Costanzowriter
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cutting engineer, beats
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D. Mackenziewriter
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writer
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beatbox
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- 4 Beautiful Day 2:46
- with Biz Markie (MC)
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mixing
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Mumble Cengineering
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Fisherproducer
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Big Kingproducer
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mixing assistant
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Marc Costanzowriter
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D. Mackenziewriter
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writer
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writer
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writer
- 5 The Hard Disk Approach 3:03
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Mumble Cproducer, engineering
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mixing
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mixing assistant
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Marc Costanzowriter
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Felix Wittholzwriter, vocals
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writer, keyboard
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- 6 Hot Rod Monster Jam 4:06
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Mumble Cproducer, engineering
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mixing
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mixing assistant
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Marc Costanzowriter
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cutting engineer
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cutting engineer
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writer
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writer
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writer
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writer
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writer
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writer
-
writer
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- 7 Cold Chillin' 3:26
- with Kurtis Blow (MC)
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Mumble Cproducer, engineering
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mixing
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mixing assistant
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Marc Costanzowriter
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cutting engineer
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D. Mackenziewriter
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writer
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cutting engineer
- 8 Feelin' Alright 3:59
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Mumble Cproducer
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engineering, mixing
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mixing assistant
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Marc Costanzowriter
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D. Mackenziewriter
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S. Costanzowriter
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writer
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Spencer Lynn Kirkpatrickwriter
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guitar, slide guitar
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Larry Cianciadrums
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- 9 Cheekybugger 1:44
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Mumble Cproducer, engineering
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mixing
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mixing assistant
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Marc Costanzowriter
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Mike Catanodrums
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- 10 Big Meanie 4:07
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Mumble Cproducer, engineering
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mixing
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mixing assistant
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Marc Costanzowriter
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guitar
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writer
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string arrangements, cello
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viola
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- 11 Junebug 3:59
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Mumble Cproducer, engineering
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mixing
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mixing
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Marc Costanzowriter
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string arrangements, cello
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viola
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electronic drums
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Tom Biedermantrumpet
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David Biedermansaxophone
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Andrew Thompsonguitar
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Dave LeitadRhodes
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violin
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- 12 Crazy 'Cause I Believe (Early Morning Sunshine) 3:02
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Mumble Cproducer, engineering
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mixing
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mixing assistant
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Marc Costanzowriter
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Tom Biedermantrumpet
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David Biedermansaxophone
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Andrew Thompsonguitar
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Dave LeitadRhodes
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D. Wilsonwriter
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writer
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spoken word
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Sharon Rileychoirmaster
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Faith Chorale Choirchoir
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Kori Ayukawabass
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Wilson Laurencindrums
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- Total length: 44:08
Rate/Catalog
Catalog
Set listening
Review
To rate, slide your finger across the stars from left to right.
3 Issues
15 Reviews
Yet another in the long line of 90s Canadian one hit wonder dollar bin grabs that fill my collection like sawdust fills a McDonald's hamburger. Of course, we all know "Steal My Sunshine" as it was an absolutely inescapable song in the summer of 1999, a sugary as hell bouncy anthem, thieving a perfect disco sample from The Andrea True Connection, with lyrics that stayed in a gray area between filth and incoherence, and hell, it's a great stupid tune. The rest of the album is as eclectic as any weird one hit wonder album of the period (see also Primitive Radio Gods or New Radicals), although there is something of a retro theme for old school hip-hop. They're on the cover as a bunch of comic book wannabe gangstas and hoodrats, and they spend a lot of time praising Biz Markie.
What's really interesting about this album ten years later is how recognizable some of the guest stars would prove to be. For instance, one of the 'stoned dudes' in "Steal My Sunshine" is none other than Broken Social Scene lynchpin Brendan Canning (and he shows up playing keyboard on "The Hard Disk Approach" as well), and Buck 65 appears on half the tracks (along with other Canadian underground hip-hop stars like D-Sisive and local Victoria hero Moka Only), plus guest appearances from folks like Biz Markie (naturally), Kurtis Blow, and Poison's C.C. Deville. They weren't fucking around here, this was supposed to be huge, and it was, after a fashion, then it was gone.
Still, it's not bad. It's weird, and it's uneven as hell, but not bad, really. The big Biz Markie tribute "Man of the Year" is damn good, quite reminiscent of Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force. "Cryptik Souls Crew" was their other play for old school classic status (using phrases like 'shine like afro-sheen' no less) and I recall it getting a bit of airplay at the height of "Steal My Sunshine" and it's a pretty decent tune too. Their sample collage "Hot Rod Monster Jam" is pretty fun, if largely the work of Mr. Dibbs and Buck 65. The pretty obvious Bachman-Turner Overdrive swipe "Feelin' Alright" is good dumb fun.
Of course, about half the time it doesn't work either. They try to do a Kraftwerk pastiche on "The Hard Disk Approach" and it's downright flaccid. "Cold Chillin'" likewise is a rather poor approximation of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five. The quasi-punk number "Cheekybugger" is uh... a problem. Their R&B tunes "Junebug" and "Crazy Cause I Believe" aren't bad, but too well capture the bland inoffensiveness of late 90s mainstream R&B. It all adds up to a not terribly good album, but a perfectly okay dollar bin pickup.
What's really interesting about this album ten years later is how recognizable some of the guest stars would prove to be. For instance, one of the 'stoned dudes' in "Steal My Sunshine" is none other than Broken Social Scene lynchpin Brendan Canning (and he shows up playing keyboard on "The Hard Disk Approach" as well), and Buck 65 appears on half the tracks (along with other Canadian underground hip-hop stars like D-Sisive and local Victoria hero Moka Only), plus guest appearances from folks like Biz Markie (naturally), Kurtis Blow, and Poison's C.C. Deville. They weren't fucking around here, this was supposed to be huge, and it was, after a fashion, then it was gone.
Still, it's not bad. It's weird, and it's uneven as hell, but not bad, really. The big Biz Markie tribute "Man of the Year" is damn good, quite reminiscent of Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force. "Cryptik Souls Crew" was their other play for old school classic status (using phrases like 'shine like afro-sheen' no less) and I recall it getting a bit of airplay at the height of "Steal My Sunshine" and it's a pretty decent tune too. Their sample collage "Hot Rod Monster Jam" is pretty fun, if largely the work of Mr. Dibbs and Buck 65. The pretty obvious Bachman-Turner Overdrive swipe "Feelin' Alright" is good dumb fun.
Of course, about half the time it doesn't work either. They try to do a Kraftwerk pastiche on "The Hard Disk Approach" and it's downright flaccid. "Cold Chillin'" likewise is a rather poor approximation of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five. The quasi-punk number "Cheekybugger" is uh... a problem. Their R&B tunes "Junebug" and "Crazy Cause I Believe" aren't bad, but too well capture the bland inoffensiveness of late 90s mainstream R&B. It all adds up to a not terribly good album, but a perfectly okay dollar bin pickup.
Published
ADVERTISEMENT
An album bought entirely upon the basis of its lead single - in this case, the glorious "Steal My Sunshine". But wha- what's this I hear? As it fades out I'm greeted with the sound of hip-hop beats... is.. is that RAP? It's worse, it's pop-rap. Damn, what a weird transition. Now hang on, track 3 is a bloody electropop number! Synth voiced and all! Pretty damn bland, too, the song is one note almost all the way through!
There's genre-defying, there's being eclectic, and then there's "..The Bum Rush". Thankfully track four returns to pop-rap. "Thankfully?", you ask, "But Steve, didn't you just say you hated pop-rap?" That may be, dear reader, and "Beautiful Day" is every bit as bad as "Cryptik Souls Crew" and then some, but at least I'm getting an idea of the kind of music Len are trying to make. EXCEPT NOW IT'S ELECTRO AGAIN!
For those of you keeping track, where letters signify different genres, Len's album structure is thus so far:
A, B, C, B, C
Perhaps I wouldn't be so enraged by this if I hadn't bought the album solely on the premise that the record would sound more like their "A". "Sunshine" is an energetic, Summery, fresh slice of pop gold and there's not a touch of that to be heard 6 tracks in.
Okay, so now it's A,B,C,B,C,C and we're getting closer to discovering at least a mean (average) genre. But if this is meant to be electro, I have made better, more interesting music myself using computer software making this average at best. It's hard to place "Cold Chillin'", it's just... bland.
"Feelin' Alright" is the closest they've come so far to going back to what made me buy this album. And guess what? It's pretty damn good! It's not as good as Sunshine by a long shot but at least they're going back to--- wait, "Cheekybugger" has shifted things yet again to pop-punk. Gawd, so now we're looking at A, B, C, B, C, C, C, A, D.
Maybe it's just us, eh? Maybe Len are right to break the stereotypical album structure by giving us a wide array of styles on the same disk? Screw it, I dunno. All this genre-hopping is making my head spin.
For the record: A B C B C C C A D E E F. Ridiculous.
There's genre-defying, there's being eclectic, and then there's "..The Bum Rush". Thankfully track four returns to pop-rap. "Thankfully?", you ask, "But Steve, didn't you just say you hated pop-rap?" That may be, dear reader, and "Beautiful Day" is every bit as bad as "Cryptik Souls Crew" and then some, but at least I'm getting an idea of the kind of music Len are trying to make. EXCEPT NOW IT'S ELECTRO AGAIN!
For those of you keeping track, where letters signify different genres, Len's album structure is thus so far:
A, B, C, B, C
Perhaps I wouldn't be so enraged by this if I hadn't bought the album solely on the premise that the record would sound more like their "A". "Sunshine" is an energetic, Summery, fresh slice of pop gold and there's not a touch of that to be heard 6 tracks in.
Okay, so now it's A,B,C,B,C,C and we're getting closer to discovering at least a mean (average) genre. But if this is meant to be electro, I have made better, more interesting music myself using computer software making this average at best. It's hard to place "Cold Chillin'", it's just... bland.
"Feelin' Alright" is the closest they've come so far to going back to what made me buy this album. And guess what? It's pretty damn good! It's not as good as Sunshine by a long shot but at least they're going back to--- wait, "Cheekybugger" has shifted things yet again to pop-punk. Gawd, so now we're looking at A, B, C, B, C, C, C, A, D.
Maybe it's just us, eh? Maybe Len are right to break the stereotypical album structure by giving us a wide array of styles on the same disk? Screw it, I dunno. All this genre-hopping is making my head spin.
For the record: A B C B C C C A D E E F. Ridiculous.
Published
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1
Steal My Sunshine
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2
Cryptik Souls Crew
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3
Man of the Year
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4
Beautiful Day
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5
The Hard Disk Approach
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6
Hot Rod Monster Jam
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7
Cold Chillin'
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8
Feelin' Alright
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9
Cheekybugger
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10
Big Meanie
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11
Junebug
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12
Crazy 'Cause I Believe (Early Morning Sunshine)
Published
1999 was a good year for me, and living in Toronto at the time, I heard "Steal My Sunshine" enough that it's ingrained within the fond memories I had during that year. Recently someone dumped a bunch of free CDs and vinyl on me, thus I'm gonna start checking some of them out, starting with this one. So how is the rest of this thing?
It's like a pastiche of "the sounds of 1999". Lots of hip-hop and rap, alternative rock, pop-punk, some chill stuff and electronica with sampling. If this came out a year earlier I would've expected a swing tune in the mix. Most of it is pretty goofy, almost novelty at times, but it's not all a joke.
Some of it is fun. "Man of the Year" rides on a one-chord groove with a derpy robot voice dueting with Sharon, and "Junebug" is a laid-back tasteful lounge number. I can spin that one on its own without having to play the opener again to remind me why I haven't tossed this. "Beautiful Day" also gets a pass thanks to its stupidly amusing chorus, giving props to the Biz.
Others don't fare so well, with songs like "Cold Chillin'" and "Big Meanie" trying my patience and the closer becoming painful with its seemingly endless repetition despite the short length of it.
In the end it's not a surprise that this group became a one-hit-wonder deal, as its eclectic and meandering, trying to please everyone at once without the goods to master any of them. Except the opener, whatever the hell that style is. They sure owned it on that one.
It's like a pastiche of "the sounds of 1999". Lots of hip-hop and rap, alternative rock, pop-punk, some chill stuff and electronica with sampling. If this came out a year earlier I would've expected a swing tune in the mix. Most of it is pretty goofy, almost novelty at times, but it's not all a joke.
Some of it is fun. "Man of the Year" rides on a one-chord groove with a derpy robot voice dueting with Sharon, and "Junebug" is a laid-back tasteful lounge number. I can spin that one on its own without having to play the opener again to remind me why I haven't tossed this. "Beautiful Day" also gets a pass thanks to its stupidly amusing chorus, giving props to the Biz.
Others don't fare so well, with songs like "Cold Chillin'" and "Big Meanie" trying my patience and the closer becoming painful with its seemingly endless repetition despite the short length of it.
In the end it's not a surprise that this group became a one-hit-wonder deal, as its eclectic and meandering, trying to please everyone at once without the goods to master any of them. Except the opener, whatever the hell that style is. They sure owned it on that one.
Published
ADVERTISEMENT
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1
Steal My Sunshine
-
2
Cryptik Souls Crew
-
3
Man of the Year
-
4
Beautiful Day
-
5
The Hard Disk Approach
-
6
Hot Rod Monster Jam
-
7
Cold Chillin'
-
8
Feelin' Alright
-
9
Cheekybugger
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10
Big Meanie
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11
Junebug
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12
Crazy 'Cause I Believe (Early Morning Sunshine)
SIMILAR ALBUMS:
OPM - Menace to Sobriety
Scapegoat Wax - Okeeblow
Citizen King - Mobile Estates
Published
I can't hate this album. I had bought it out a bargain bin and when it disappeared I bought it out of another bargain bin. It's the most bizarrely eclectic record I've heard - not all of it works but there is enough that does to keep it entertaining.
Also it's worth nothing some of the guests on this record -
Brendan Canning (of Broken Social Scene), Mr. Dibbs, Buck 65, Biz Markie, Kurtis Blow and C.C. DeVille.
Also it's worth nothing some of the guests on this record -
Brendan Canning (of Broken Social Scene), Mr. Dibbs, Buck 65, Biz Markie, Kurtis Blow and C.C. DeVille.
Published
Passable album, their music videos make me wanna become a hermit, though.
Published
I'm embarrassed to admit that I made my mom drive me to Fred Meyer before we stopped at Pizza Hut so I could purchase this CD from a prime-time price of $17.99. In my defense, I was 14 years old and easily persuaded by pop music. Little would I suspect though that the album would stray heavily into rap territory. Having only heard "Steal My Sunshine" I suppose that's a valid "my bad." However,"Cheekyburger" does provide some redemption as it is a musically tight twee-pop/rock song, minus the sophomoric lyrics. "Hot Rod Monster Jam" starts off promising with it's classic rock guitar riff but the song quickly descends into a genre confusing mess.
Published
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Catalog
27 May 2024
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1
Steal My Sunshine
-
2
Cryptik Souls Crew
-
3
Man of the Year
-
4
Beautiful Day
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5
The Hard Disk Approach
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6
Hot Rod Monster Jam
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7
Cold Chillin'
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8
Feelin' Alright
-
9
Cheekybugger
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10
Big Meanie
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11
Junebug
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12
Crazy 'Cause I Believe (Early Morning Sunshine)
27 May 2024
12 May 2024
26 Apr 2024
25 Apr 2024
25 Apr 2024
8 Apr 2024
24 Mar 2024
18 Mar 2024
25 Feb 2024
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1
Steal My Sunshine
-
2
Cryptik Souls Crew
-
3
Man of the Year
-
4
Beautiful Day
-
5
The Hard Disk Approach
-
6
Hot Rod Monster Jam
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7
Cold Chillin'
-
8
Feelin' Alright
-
9
Cheekybugger
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10
Big Meanie
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11
Junebug
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12
Crazy 'Cause I Believe (Early Morning Sunshine)
15 Feb 2024
15 Feb 2024
13 Feb 2024
25 Jan 2024
29 Dec 2023
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