Speedsquare

Be Cool

(self-released)

Record Review by Thomas Hillard

Writing about this record kind of gives me a headache, I mean where do I start? How do I try to explain that every track is different? Aside from the production quality, it’s all over the place. I’m probably just being way too forgiving, but none of the above deterred me. I was sure I could get through it, cause you know… Speedsquare did a good job and stuff. This record is best described as Acid-Jazz-Trance-Experimental.
 
Be Cool opens with “Broken Legs” a ska influenced song with horns, off beat pianos, and lax vocals. The song is pretty groovey. I mean it’s not something I’d just jam to on any day of the week, but like in those times when you’re not sky high nor super down, just somewhere mellow, indirect, in between-it’s great. The second song completely drops that whole ska thing, and now we’re in a off beat alt-rock experimental bit. The same song “Place” eventually mellows out into a ballad with child chorus-esk sounding rounds. This rolls straight into the rolling and chip chop piano part of “Population”, a random and funky tune with a descending piano lick that returns for each transition in the song. More interesting - from the early childish nonsense part to the mid-slow jam part with slacker like vocals, there were plenty of parts to tie together. The song finally turns to a feedback of chaotic trumpet sax and mad laughter. The silver lining is somehow they bring it back to the simple sweet piano all over again.
 
Halfway through the record “Romance” really removed any of the romance I might have had at the time as I heard the lyrics “Michelob Ultra is bad for our culture, TV’s a vulture feeding on our dead brains”. There was no more denying it. These guys are fucking around. I’ll admit they do it well, and I can’t help but enjoy the humor. Seriously though - UGH what am I gonna do with this? How do I see it fitting into my days? At first I was thinking I could pull it out on the easy afternoons. Now I think it needs to be 4am after a brain blast of a hot day when my mind is hanging on one thread of a brain cell.
 
If I had to extract one song out of them all and call it a favorite, I’d choose “Let It Be”. I don’t know why, something about the –you’re not going to get this (bonus points if you do)- Pink Floyd-eskness of it. It really brought me back to a place I’ve only been when listening to “Breath” off Dark Side.
 
Totally crazy, YES. A good conversation starter.. maybe? Creative and original if only because it’s nothing else… totally.