Crystal Skulls – Outgoing Behavior

Crystal Skulls – Outgoing Behavior / 2006 Suicide Squeeze / 11 Tracks / http://www.crystalskullsonline.com / http://www.suicidesqueeze.net / Reviewed 27 July 2006

Crystal Skulls start off their “Outgiong Behavior” with a track that is firmly grounded in sixties music. This title track sets the stage for the rest of the album, and moves beyond the superficial sounds of the sixties into something much more musically literate. “Baby Boy”, the second track, feels much more in step with the eighties brand of goth rock (taking into consideration bands like The Cure). “Baby Boy” does not only rely on the band’s eighties influences, as there is a appreciable bit of alt-country (namely, a lap steel-sounding instrument) hidden throughout that track. “The Cosmic Door” is a track that brings the vocals of Crystal Skulls to the fore, and the first part of the track almost feels as it possesses the same narrative qualities of a Randy Newman track.

During “The Cosmic Door”, the Crystal Skulls are able to slow down time to the point that the three minutes of the track feel like five or six. This is not a negative thing, as the band creates tracks that are ultimately enjoyable. “Heavy Sleeper” brings the Skulls back into their sixties groove, but to say that they are only influenced by one brand of sixties music is to sell them short. Hints of Beach Boys, Beatles, and later “Hippie” music are all present during this track. There is no overall theme that I can hear for “Outgoing Behavior”, outside of that the Skulls want you (the listener) to enjoy completely every composition that the band comes up with on this disc. The instrumentation on “Outgoing Behavior is so rich that literally four or five different processes are going on at any second on the disc. The density of these compositions help out the replay value considerably.

The listener can listen to a track five or ten times in a row without the song sounding boring at the least, since there are so many things happening at one time.There is no pushing of the listeners by the Crystal Skulls; everything is provided on this disc in a way that listeners can take it or leave it. Of course, there is no reason for listeners to want to leave it; the compositions on here are impeccable and delightful. For fans of fun music, Crystal Skulls come out with an album that will never break the listener’s smile. Pick it up if this sounds interesting in the least!

Top Tracks: Heavy Sleep, Treat It Well

Rating: 6.8/10

[JMcQ]