EXCLUSIVE ADVANCE REVIEW: Sounds Like You by Kirby Krackle

July 2, 2013.  Today is a date that forever shall live in infamy for me, as it was the day I got to listen to an exclusive livestream of the new album from nerd rock pioneers Kirby Krackle.

Nerd rock pioneers Kirby Krackle hail from Seattle, Washington.  Other musical acts that have come from Seattle include Pearl Jam and Heart, as well as a myriad of others.  The album comes out next week, and I'm one of Kirby Krackle's biggest fans, so this is a huge treat for me.  Thank you again Kyle and Jim for the opportunity to review your work before the rest of the world.

The new album Sounds Like You starts off with the song Parachute, which reminds me a lot of Superman and Lois Lane and how he's almost always her parachute.  (On that subject, I love that the new Man of Steel movie actually gave Lois Lane something to do for once.)

The second track is "Set Your Phasers to Sexy" which I think is about a nerdy, comic book-reading guy like myself getting attracted to a female nerd.  One thing I love about this song is how it has some really cool vocal stuff and one amazing guitar solo that sounds like Neil Giraldo guested on the album.

Third up is Cozy Pants O'Clock, which I think has a Crosby, Stills, & Nash Southern Cross vibe, and this song is about how amazing it is to lounge around in cozy pants.  For me, if I had my way, Cozy Pants O'Clock would be all day, every day.  I do not think that I am alone in this.

Fourth is 140 Characters, and it is about falling in love with someone over social media.  I can identify with this only to a certain point, but it's one of the few songs that have any sort of soft rock on the album.  I miss the ukuleles, so this one will have to do until KK releases their next album.

Fifth is One More Episode, which was released earlier last year as a single.  As a refresher course, it's about those TV on DVD sets and how you tend to marathon those late into the night.  I can identify with the song, but for me, it was the Star Wars prequels that I decided (very stupidly I may add) to marathon one night after they released on Blu-Ray.  I tried valiantly to watch all three but the lengthy run times of the movies meant that I skipped large portions of the second and third movies. (That was when my opinion on Episode I changed, knowing what I know now about how awful Episode II was and how Episode III was better than Episode II but went way too far in the wrong direction for me.)

Sixth is Grandma's House, which is about (wait for it) going to Grandma's house.  I fondly remember getting to go to both of my grandmothers' houses, but for me, I was a lot closer to my maternal grandmother than I was to my paternal grandmother.  Unfortunately, they both are no longer on this Earth, but I still think of them every day.

Seventh is Take You Out Tonight, which is about taking a girl on a date.  I'm not certain from whose perspective the song is being sung, but it sure sounds like a song that talks about Spidey and Mary Jane Watson...

Eighth is Cosplay Queen, which talks about the relationships that tend to spring up like weeds in the cosplay world.  It's really cool to finally have a song that celebrates cosplay.  I like the acoustic sound of the song, because of how few acoustic songs are on the album.  (Also, I laughed at the She-Ra reference.)

Ninth is Taco Night.  I think it is about... wait for it... Taco Night.  Like the night that everyone eats tacos.  I think this is a great song.  Makes me want Taco Bell too, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Tenth is The Same Thing, and I think it it is about how we are all the same as humans, and that our rights cannot be inequal.  I love that, and I believe that nerd culture is a lot more inclusive than general society as a whole.  It's a pretty big deal that the general public is less inclusive of gays, etc. than us nerds are.

Eleventh is Web Slinger / Hope Bringer, which KK released as a single last fall.  It is about Peter Parker, also known as Spider-Man (and I don't care what Marvel does with the Webbed Wonder, they made a HUGE mistake with how they handled the end of the 700-issue run of Amazing Spider Man).

Twelfth is Moisture Farm, about the hero of the real Star Wars movies, Luke Skywalker.  I thought that this song was amazing, mainly because I am such an Original Trilogy nerd.

Thirteenth is North of the Wall, and it is the obligatory Game of Thrones song every self-respecting nerd rocker has to have.  It is also one of the most plugged-in songs KK has ever made, and because it is so plugged-in, I can barely understand the lyrics.  No offense intended but I think the instruments could have been taken down a notch and it would have helped the intelligibility of the lyrics.

As far as a wrap-up and rating goes: I absolutely loved this album!  I give the album a 4.9 out of 5, and I took 0.1 off for North of the Wall's lyrics barely being intelligible.  It comes highly recommended by yours truly, and Sounds Like You comes out July 9th.