Audio CD review:
Osker - Idle Will Kill

Osker - Idle Will Kill

Band: Osker Title: Idle Will Kill Rating: Release Date: 05 June, 2001 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Patience 2: Strangled 3: Animal 4: Contention 5: Motionless 6: Piece By Piece 7: The Body 8: Kinetic 9: The Mistakes You Make 10: Out Of Touch 11: Back To You 12: Disconnect, Disconnect 13: Going On The Instincts 14: Anchor

Customer Reviews Genre-Bending, Angst-Ridden Punk At Its Peak Osker is one of my favorite punk bands ever and I think they did so much for the genre and for music in general with "Idle Will Kill". Singer, guitarist, and songwriter Devon Williams is a true punk visionary. Everything on this album is so brilliant, whether it be the sporadic, free verse melodies or the sarcastic and anguished lyrics that I think make this album such a gem, or the fantastic musicianship surrounding the innovative songs. You really can't go wrong with this record. I also love Devon's unconventional voice because it brings so much life and strength to his amazing lyrics. I don't even know how to say all I want to about "Idle Will Kill". It's one of the most original punk cds I own and it will always be one of the best. The lyrics cover such dear topics like pride and ignorance without stepping foot into religious or political territory. This album is the epitome of rebellion, opinion, and self-expression. Pick it up. It is fantastic. Nothing new, but worth the listen and buy A bit of change from Treatment 5, but one that doesn't smell of a completely different band turning it out. OK, so this is album number two for Osker. It's full of great lines, topped off by some sweet melodies, riffs and drumming. I find myself humming them through a work day. If there is anything I can't stand, it's totally uncreative songs that are carried on by completely drab musicality. Osker pushes their songs until they are over with. Even repeated verses don't loose their effect, as can happen with some songs. To sum the CD and Osker's sound up though, it's different. Full of adolescent passion, trials and tribulations of young life and pure feeling, it makes you want more. Too bad Osker's gone. . Teen Angst At Its Musical Best They've produced a brilliant set of tracks which capture the essence of what makes punk music great - being vulnerable and honest and fiery all at the same time - essentially making this a beautifully human album. Idle Will Kill reeks of teenage existential angst, but that's the main source of their charm. Opening with an acoustic number is a risk that even the more seasoned punk bands won't take, (most of them leave the ballads for the end) but Osker's refusal to be anything other than themselves - even if it sometimes entails being brutally honest and sacrificing vocal quality for full emotional expression - is what makes this album so appealing. Idle Will Kill is the ultimate "break-up" album - with lyrics like, "Half flattered you believed in me, half sorry you made a mistake," from Disconnect, Disconnect, (by far the best track) it'd be hard to find someone who couldn't relate to Devon's heartfelt delivery. (Incidentally, it can't be a coincidence that both Ben Folds Five and Osker use the line, "All of this breathing in and never breathing out," can it? Ben Folds is surely an intriguing influence for the boys. . . ) This album is a fine example of what all young punk bands should be striving towards, and while it's a travesty that Osker did not enjoy the success they deserve, they prove that you don't have take the lighter, more comedic approach of the NOFX/Vandals-type bands, to produce a great punk album. . You can see a complete list of all Osker discography, or go back to the Osker tabs