Friday, February 20, 2009
Creamtastic Krillington Zero's 'Oh Mandy': It Was Bound to Happen Sooner or Later...
Posted by Seth Graves on Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 12:14 PM
They've remained mutually exclusive factions of popular music for over a decade or more with fans of each diametrically opposed to one another's entire way of life. Indie rockers rarely miss an opportunity to mock the husky growl and donkey croon of Modern Rock. Conversely, modern rockers are prone to get down right pissed off when observing those wussy indie rockers in their thrift store threads whining over yet another of life's frustrations.
Personally, it reminds me a great deal of the rap/metal rivalry of the late '80s. I can't speak for other rural areas of the time, but in the sleepy Southern town of Harvest, Ala., you either dug one or the other. Looking at the way things turned out, perhaps it was better that way. After the 1990s collaboration betwixt Anthrax and Public Enemy on "Bring Tha Noize," the flood gates were opened, and many consider this to be the forefather of the dreaded rap rock genre that would reign supreme over high schools and frat houses a decade later.
So here we are in 2009. Rap and metal have resolved their differences, but where does that leave Modern Rock and Indie? Here to answer that question is Krillington Zero. (Yes, I'm well aware that "Krillington" isn't even a word, but let's continue.) In an effort to reach across the aisle and appeal to both sides of the board, Krillington has adapted a hard-rockin' version of The Spinto Band's "Oh Mandy," in what is, to my knowledge, the first or at least most notable attempt at bridging this ever-expanding gap.
Here, have a listen:
I'm not going to lie, or even pretend to be objective. It's awful. In fact, I was pretty much in denial the first half of the track, convinced I'd been an unsuspecting victim in an elaborate hoax. But if that were the case, Alternative Press fell for it too:
"Hailing from just outside of Akron, Ohio, this five-piece displays a wealth of talent on their debut album, Zero to Infinity which features an original blend of hard rock, metal, and even rap. Most surprisingly, though, is the choice of their lead-off single, "Oh Mandy" which is actually a cover of song by an obscure "indie" group, the Spinto Band. But even calling it a "cover" is a bit of a stretch considering how Krillington Zero transforms what was once off-key hipster garble into a powerful, yet emotional musical statement."
I'm speechless--and still not convinced this isn't sarcasm. And this is not because I hate donkey rock. It's because this song is fucking bad. The way the sharply-tuned manly man vocal growl rides high atop the mix, sans reverb, with minimal compression alone sounds like I'm listening to a soundboard mix at Lonnie's karaoke. But it's possible I'm being closed-minded. I may very well be part of the problem that's keeping these two lovers apart. I'm not yet willing to embrace this abomination of a marriage--maybe because I'm small-minded, or maybe because I've seen what this kind of cross-contamination has produced in the past. What say you, Creamsters? Am I just a separatist bigot, or does this shit suck?
Comments (6)
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Hi, I'm Scott Heisel, the music editor at Alternative Press. I've worked here for five years, and in that time, the band Krillington Zero has been written about in our pages or on our website a grand total of zero times. I'm afraid that "review" is completely made-up.
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yeah. i think i let boredom get the best of me and posted this too soon.
i'm pretty sure i've been punk'd. this band doesn't actually exist anywhere on the internet besides the Spinto Band's blog and this imeem page.
the question i think here is: am i that gullible, or is that genre so bad that it wasn't too hard to believe this shit was the real thing?
I think this is a Spinto-hoax. What they're havin' is havin' you on. This blog post is the first Google search item for "Krillington Zero."
Doesn't change the fact that it sounds like shit and it sounds like shit that people actually perform on purpose.
Funny, I tour with spinto and, I'm sure they would get a kick out of it.
Funny, not the singer and writer of this song's name is Nick "Krill" .
Are my eyes gone from staring at my computer too much, or is Krillington Zero in that photo actually a made-over Spinto Band minus a member (and some puppies)? Especially hearing the little lo-fi part at the end, I have to call bullshit. Classy practical joke! Nice... and nicely done, a-hyuck.
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