CIARAN MCFEELY (SIMPLE KID) HAS BROKEN THROUGH THE CONFINING WALLS OF THE OVERPROCESSED, POPPY MUSIC OF TODAY AND REFRESHED AND REOPENED OUR EARS WITH HIS NEW ALBUM, TITLED 1. OUR OWN BETHANY SHADY TALKS WITH HIM ABOUT COMICS, BEING HOMELESS, AND SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD GIRLS.
Bethany Shady: How\'s New York?

Yes, that’s the longest title I’ve ever seen on a record, next to that Fiona Apple album where she put an entire verse on the front of hers. And yes, the album is as sensitive and emotional in theme as it sounds, which normally isn’t my thing. Sure, there are some pleasantly exceptional surprises in the genre, like Damiens Jurado and Rice, but typically it’s a predictable, trite sound with a whole lot of \"woe is me\".
Colouring Season’s \"woe is me\" grows on you, though, thanks to a welcome absence of two big things that plague such emotionally heavy musics:

There was a time when I got fired up for a new Goodie Mob release. Back then, I was waiting anxiously to snatch up their second album, Still Standing, on its release day. But something happened, and I got distracted around the time of World Party. Next thing I know, Cee-Lo’s gone, Khujo’s in a car accident, and The Goodie Mob wasn’t heard from in a while.
But apparently, none of that could stop the remaining members from recording another record.

You thought Ninja Poetry ended last issue? Indeed. Indeed, it did. But while cleaning out his mysterious vaults, young, intrepid, mildly-heterosexual D.J. Kirkbride discovered three \"lost\" ninja poems that he\'d \"losted\". These are them.
NINJAS ALL UP IN IT
Ninjas get all up in it.
You even cross \'em
You\'re gonna be in some
Shit.
Ninjas take a target down.
To get in the way
You\'d have to be a foo\'
Clown.
Ninjas gonna fuck you up.
Mess wit\' \'em, dumbass,
And you be shit outta
Luck.
Ninjas?
Fuck, dude,

Who\'s Triple Seis? For the uninformed, he was a part of the notorious Terror Squad, alongside good friend Big Pun, among others. But when Big Pun passed four years ago, Seis left Terror Squad and began making a name for himself with cameos on other people’s records. And this summer, with Madd Records behind him, Triple Seis will release his proper solo debut, Time’ll Tell.

This is where that fine line between objective journalist and fan gets crossed. I’ve played this record literally 40+ times in the seven days I’ve owned it, and I can’t seem to keep it out of my stereo. Is it that good? Yes. And as far as Tiger Army records go, it\'s the best thing they’ve ever done.

From the press release: \"The first track on the band’s new SideOneDummy Records Leaving The Ways EP is a soccer hooligan chant, an echo of the late-\'70s oi punk bands like Sham 69, Cock Sparrer, and Toy Dolls....\"
\"Soccer hooligans\"? Okay, I’m sold. Welcome to my stereo, Briggs. And make yourself at home. You’re gonna be there a lot.
Leaving The Ways has everything I like about punk rock-- including a Cock Sparrer comparison. There’s something really infectious about that sound, and The Briggs have resurrected the spirit of it with a thick, modern ferocity.

Oh, man, it’s Skynyrd time! Lynyrd Skynyrd Live: The Vicious Cycle Tour is a celebration of 30 years of rock \'n\' roll, as the brand on its cover states. The two-disc set is chock full o\' classic tunes being played with as much energy as ever.
The performance was recorded in July 2003 at AmSouth Amphitheatre in Tennessee, and, by the sound of it, the crowd was ecstatic to be there. But unlike some other live recordings, the cheers from the fans aren’t invasive. They only add to the spirit of the music.

Author\'s note: I started writing my contribution for this section many months ago, and decided that one of the things I would cover would be The Dead Milkmen. With the world so serious a place as of late, the Milkmen seemed the logical choice to help release the tension and let the people laugh. Two or so weeks later, I woke up to my girlfriend telling me, \"It sucks about that guy from The Dead Milkmen.\" In a haze of hangover, I said, \"What do you mean?\" Sadly, Dave Blood, the bass player, took his own life earlier that week. Here\'s what I wrote before that tragic day.

\"I am a loser / I am so lost without you.\"
- \"New Fool\"
Here comes the sun, folks! Let the good times roll. With songs like \"New Fool\" and \"Goodbye I Die\", you can bet yer ass Nikola Sarcevic\'s Lock-Sport-Krock is a laugh-it-up 34 minutes of fun and frivolity!