Music releases

Released

Friday, April 1, 2011

Producer

Dustin Karsin and John Vogan. Mixed and Mastered by Craig Boychuk at CB Audio

Beercan Ashtray Studios

Independent

Catalog No.

1244

Social Studies, the second full-length record from punk hoppin duo Rebel Yell will captivate you, fascinate you and activate you in ways your loving spouse/bed mate never has or will. Maybe that�s an overstatement, maybe it�s an understatement.

Regardless, the duo has made a defining statement in the strange realm of musical variety they inhabit. Sure, this album could be classified as hip hop, it has a beat and people are singing fast with words that rhyme. But how do you place the jittery, skronky guitar styles of Critical Jim into the word hip hop? How do you explain the malevolent tendencies this group has to do whatever you don�t expect? Critical Jim and El Te Gringo grew up idolizing the likes of bands that were nothing like the pigeon-holes they were confined to. Bands like Refused, At-the Drive-In, Outkast, etc., bands that were never afraid to be totally out of the box but still gave you something that was familiar enough for you to rock out to.

So when the duo was creating Social Studies they never held back from exploring the crazy places they wanted to go. They developed a new mantra of never taking the easy way. If an odd time signature in a song was becoming difficult, it just made the two work harder. If a verse wasn�t up to the standards of the other vocalist, they went back and hashed it out until they were both satisfied. The result is material that deepens your perception of it with each listen and leaves room for profound appreciation down the road.

This all sounds pretty serious and mature, but the new material is absolutely blistering with good times. Critical Jim and El Te Gringo tackle such gripping issues as sexual promiscuity in foreign countries and avoiding debt collectors in Playing Catch with Vibes, the social phenomenon known as the restaurant in Table Service, having parties in your parent�s house in Kitchen Party, being a construction worker vs. being a student in Thirsty Thursdays, the political forces of impending doom in Kill em All, and the unfortunate occurrences of Rookie Moves.

Wanting to branch away from the conventional hip-hop doctrine, Rebel Yell teamed up with producer Craig Boychuk (KEN Mode, Giant Sons, Greg MacPherson) to mix and master Social Studies. Craig brought a level of professionalism and proficiency to the quality of the recording unknown to Jim and Gringo in previous self-recordings. The duo concluded that when you`re assembling a team and you want the best product possible, it`s always better to be surrounded by smarter people than to be the smartest person in the room.