Slightly Stoopid band, very stupid album

by AnneMarie Mal

Daily Lobo

Sounding like Sublime wannabes on its latest album Closer to the Sun, Slightly Stoopid definitely lives up to its name.

It is no great surprise that Skunk Records, the infamous label started by Sublime front man Brad Nowell, who handpicked this band himself, helped produce Slightly Stoopid. If one were to put 311, Slightly Stoopid, and Sublime together, it would be hard to distinguish them. The only audible difference is the emphasis on acoustics.

The first song on Closer to the Sun is dedicated to instrumentals, setting the tone for the remainder of the CD. Most of the beats are catchy, as they blend reggae, ska, punk, blues, dub and folk. Unfortunately, the lyrics lack definite substance, with constant repetition of simple phrases such as "I don't need a lot of money. All I need is time, got no reason no rhyme. I don't need a lot of money, all I need is you."

Because they throw obviously-named stoner songs in the mix such as "This Joint" and "Fat Spliffs," it is not hard to guess what they do in their spare time.

What is nice about Closer to the Sun are the voices of dual singers Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald, who both play bass and guitar. There is no doubt that the sound they make is beautiful - they just don't say anything while they are singing. They have potential for growth, but the band has been together since high school, which was almost 10 years ago. If they were going to break out of the box and do something different, it should have been done by now.

Slightly Stoopid claims to have complete creative control over its music as a result of coming up as a grass-roots band ---- that creativity must be solely relegated to the instruments. This is demonstrated by the quick and to-the-point songs "Nothin' Over Me" and "Righteous Man," which break the monotony of mellowness that the other songs project.

This CD is great background music for parties because the beats have something everyone can bob their heads to. Since the lyrics are simple and repetitive, they give people who have no idea what they are listening to a sense of familiarity. One doesn't notice the words until the music is turned up and listened to closely because the acoustics tend to overshadow the singers at times. After hearing a few of Slightly Stoopid's songs, one feels like he or she has heard the whole CD, and can probably sing along to every word without hindrance.

Closer to the Sun also comes with a DVD of four songs, giving the listener a bit of visual stimulation and substance, which is a nice change from the CD.