Review Summary: Energetic, spastic, and totally unique, "Analphabetapolothology" should have started a long career for Cap'n Jazz.
Cap'n Jazz is one of those bands that really never got started, which is unfortunate. They released "Shmap'n Shmazz", which is essentially the first half of "Analphabetapolothology", but it really didn't collect any recognition for all its originality. And there was originality to spare. From the occasionally terrible singing to the guitar lines that seemed to constantly be picking up speed, the band seemed to be intentionally shielding themselves from the public eye. In theory, Cap'n Jazz should have been a disaster. But they pulled off every inconvenience (awful singing, etc.) with incredible style and energy, so none of the flaws even mattered. All that mattered was that their music was fun, energetic and emotional, and every mistake was actually embraced, and these "inconveniences" fit together perfectly.
One of the greatest/worst parts of "Analphabetapolothology" is the musicianship. As I said, the singing is sometimes awful, but that is what makes it so fitting. The whole style of the album seems to be incredibly messy, so it's logical that the vocals follow the same trend. The same can be said for the guitar, where sloppy work perfectly accents the intentions of the album. The lyrics are also interesting, and sometimes very funny to listen to. They are certainly far from mature, as in "Oh Messy Life", in which the entire second verse is about his cousin Bucky refusing to take his hat off to swim. There really is not point to it, but it is certainly entertaining.
Where "Analphabetapolothology" really shines is in its energy and emotion. In songs such as "Little League", the opener, where Tim screams through the bridge over increasingly intensifying distorted guitar, or in "Troubled By Insects", where a group chant of "We all suck!" really hammers the point home. There is rarely a moment of rest to be found on the CD. But when it comes, it works well, with the exception of "Flashpoint: Catheter". In this case I found the vocals unlistenable, but Tim's soft spoken "We are human beings" in "The Sands've Turned Purple" is a really gorgeous opener to what becomes an onslaught of pick scraping and frantic drumming.
Such dramatic changes in energy really do make the album a confusing listen at first, and is what I attribute to their lack of popularity. "Analphabetapolothology" really is difficult to swallow, as not every listener can, or chooses to listen to such spastic music. But once you can appreciate that accurate playing and predictable song structures were not the intention, the album really does come together nicely.
My only complaint about the CD is that Cap'n Jazz will never match it. It was so far beyond most listener's tastes that Cap'n Jazz called it quits after little revenue being brought in off their music. And it's a shame, too. The world could really benefit from listening to this kind of truly inspired music right about now.
