COOLER KIDS - MEGAMIX

OK, so this is the CD that got me hooked on Cooler Kids.  I saw Erasure in Las Vegas during the "Other People's Songs" tour and Cooler Kids were opening up for them.  I remember not liking them during the opening set.  But that was mostly because I was so excited to see Erasure.  I've made this mistake many times in the past.  I overlook an opening band because I'm looking forward to the main act.  But I've changed that habit.  I've discovered a number of great bands by giving opening acts a chance and I find them before too many other people are listening to them.

Sisley Treasure threw a bunch of these promo CDs to the crowd and I caught one.  I didn't think much of it at the time, but about a year later, I was listening to it in the car one day and it blew my mind.  I had to get the full length album.  I ordered it, paid full price and fell in love with the pop styling of this wonderful group.  

You can read more about the individual tracks in my previous review of the entire album so I'm not going to break this down.  Essentially, the disc is a mix of 5 tracks from the album.  They blend together to make one mix and it's wonderful.  You get a comprehensive idea of what the group are capable of in this one 9 minute long megamix.  If you can find it, I suggest picking it up.

My final words:  SAVED FROM IGNORING A POP TALENT THROUGH THIS LITTLE GEM.  GET IT.  DO YOURSELF A FAVOR!

COOLER KIDS - MEGAMIX
01. All Around The World (Punk Debutante)
02. Sugartown
03. Vive Le Fever
04. E Is For Everybody
05. Morning Star

BOYGIRL - DEMO LP

BoyGirl is comprised of the members of Cooler Kids! I'm not sure why they switched to this name, but they did. The new material isn't the same as the Cooler Kids stuff in a number of ways... It's got a darker edge to it. The lighthearted pop is gone. However, that's not to be unexpected. The more familiar I became with Kaz Gamble's music, the more I realized he was drawn to darker, more sinister projects. At least he likes to dip his toes in evil's swimming pool. There's a great big feeling lurking behind all of these songs. I feel like if Kaz ever let go and embraced his potential, he'd spearhead another industrial empire similar to the one Praga Khan created with Lords Of Acid, Channel X and any one of a number of side projects he developed. As it stands now, Gamble moves from one collaboration to another and usually lets his collaborator decide on the direction the music will go.

The downside to this approach is his collaborators. In the case of Sisely Treasure, she's a limited singer and dancer. She could be awesome under the right direction, but when she's left to her own devices she writes mediocre lyrics and substandard dance moves. She needs a target to shoot for and in a situation where the target isn't as obvious as filling in for the former lead singer of an already established group, she can't define herself. Letting her take the lead produces disappointing results.

Despite the occasional embarrassing lyric, the CD features more highlights than let-downs. The opening track 'Catch Me', is a great opener. It's energetic and on the light side. It would've worked as a Cooler Kids track. It's followed up by my favorite track on the disc and also the track that indicates the minor themes of the album. It's a song about almost stalker-like waiting and an obsessive interest in another person. It's odd, disproportionate and brilliant. 'Take Me There' is another potential Cooler Kids number. However, it deals with a woman wanting her man to open up to her. 'Roses' has an incredible music track, but the lyrics deal with a lolita-like tale of a young girl.

'Stranded', 'Beginning To End' and 'Missing U' are all songs with great music tracks and even some interesting vocal arrangements. 'Last Breath' is the next track that really stands out. The music reminds me of a Nine Inch Nails song, but I can't quite put my finger on which one. I'll have to research it further and edit this entry later to include it.

The rest of the album falls into the roughly the same category... The music is strong, different and inventive. The lyrics often fall into generic themes with some interesting vocal arrangements from time to time. The last two numbers, 'GBoys/BBoys' and 'Diamond Age' are both interesting and unique enough to merit some attention. All in all, this is a noteworthy (though somehow incomplete) follow-up to the Cooler Kids disc. It certainly does give one the feeling greater things could come, but since the duo have disbanded and no longer record together, it's a shot in the dark. However, if you really loved Cooler Kids and felt jipped when the group disbanded after one album, here's your chance to get that final high before you quit them cold turkey. Don't count Kaz Gamble or Sisely Treasure out just yet. Both continue to make music and there's always a chance one of them will see success in one incarnation or another. My final words: AN EPILOGUE OF SORTS, BUT STILL ENJOYABLE.

BOYGIRL - DEMO LP
01. Catch Me
02. Krush
03. Take Me There
04. Roses
05. Stranded
06. Beginning To End
07. Missing U
08. Last Breath
09. Comfortable
10. So Famous
11. Allright
12. I Want You
13. GBoys/BBoys
14. Diamond Age

COOLER KIDS - COOLER KIDS

Anyone who spends time around me knows two very important things... A) I dislike singing in public. I don't like performing in general. B) One of the things that draws me to a disc is if I can sing along to it. At the top of my lungs!!!!

Does that make me creepy or what? Keeping this little inconsistency in mind, if you've listened to Cooler Kids you'll understand my fascination. This short lived band has released a disc of some of the most fun and exciting pop music in history.

The first time I heard Cooler Kids was at a live show. They played with Erasure on their 'Other People's Songs' tour. I was excited to see Erasure and didn't pay much attention to Cooler Kids. If anything, I was annoyed with how bouncy and fluff they were. Sisley was trying to get the crowd excited and I was trying to talk to my friends and ignore them. Towards the end of their set, the band threw out some buttons and cds. I caught one of the cds. Turned out to be a sampler disc of their new cd. I didn't think much of it until one day, while driving in the car, I decided to play it. The mix was incredible so I went out and bought the entire disc.

This is easily a cd I enjoy from start to finish. I find the entire project enjoyable and once I'm in a cooler kids zone, there's no stopping me. I'll sing and carry on for days.

Later on, the members of the band released a second disc. I'll review that one eventually. I enjoyed a short lived correspondence with Kaz Gamble and remember those conversations with fond memory. I'm a complete fan of his now and I've started tracking down some of his other work. He's a great programmer and producer. I've enjoyed his music and look forward to hearing more. I always fantasize that suddenly, Cooler Kids will get some mainstream recognition and return to record more music. This is popular music at its finest. 

I have two versions of this disc.  The first is the regular release and the second is the promotional advance of the album.  It includes an alternate track.  Instead of 'Blue Nile', the advance has the track 'Life After Sex'.  I've read online that the arrangements and mix are slightly different as well, but I can't tell the difference.  Probably because I'm not paying enough attention to the music when I play the discs.  To me, it just sounds awesome.  My final word: BLISS! Find it, buy it and enjoy!

COOLER KIDS - COOLER KIDS
01. All Around The World (Punk Debutante)
02. Morning Star
03. Viva Le Fever
04. Sha La La (Wake Up Next 2 U)
05. Remember That Song
06. Bali Hideaway
07. E Is For Everybody
08. The Last Summer
09. Sugartown
10. Hook Up
11. Blue Nile / Life After Sex
12. All Around The World (Punk Debutante) (Remix)