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4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Fans who ignore this record are missing out on a classic May 20, 2006
I can understand why alot of people were upset about this album. This is Catch 22's third line-up change, and thier biggest change in sound. While Keasby Nights and Alone in the Crowd were pretty much consistent in style and song-writing, Dinosaur Sounds is totally different from anything Catch 22 has ever recorded.
While listening to this record, the first thing you will notice is that Dino Sounds is more of a "rock with horns" album than a punk/ska record. Sax player Ryan Eldred takes over lead vocals, and trumpeteer Kevin Gunther sings on a couple songs as well. Ryan and Kevin's voices compliment each other very nicely. You can hear the definite influence of weezer, sublime, and NOFX throughout the album. The topics of the songs now focus on rock and roll staples like romance and drinking (although there is also an anti-war song).
So is this a bad album? Not by a long shot. Despite the bieng attacked by many of the band's fans, this album is on par with anything else they have ever recorded, as long as you take into account the fact that this album is a different style of music bieng played by a different line-up. Fans who ignore this record are missing out on a classic.
And there are just so many songs that make this album great. "Wine Stained Lips," is a bouncy love song with a guitar solo (rare for a ska song). "Good Times" sounds almost like a Sublime song. "So Cold" seems to be an attack on Streetlight Manifesto, and "Beguile the Time" is an anti-war song. "Chin Up" contains an uplifting message during the chorus -- "chin up until it touches the moon, sad and forsaken one, it's you I'm talking to."
However, there are three really great songs on this record that stand out above all the rest. "Motown Cinderella" is a beautiful song about bieng caught in a romantic triangle. Ryan's vocals are especially powerfull and heartfelt on this track, which climaxes with a beatiful, almost big band style jazz ending. The horns are all wailing like mad while Ryan is screaming his heart out for this girl who gives him "the kind of love I can sing about."
"Dripping Faucet" contains all the anger and agression that made the first two Catch albums so great. The lyrics are about laying awake at night doing some heavy soul-searching. A "dripping faucet" is used as a metaphor for a problem in your life that you are unsure of how to deal with. Musically, this track is virtually flawless. The horn line is one of the catchiest on the album, the guitar and bass play off of each other with stunning ease, and the song climaxes with a horn break-down so sick that its almost as good as sex.
The last stand-out track on Dino Sounds, and perhaps the best one, is "Lamont's Lament," an instrumental featuring a good 2 minutes of nothing but kick @$$ ska. This is the probably the best horn work featured in a Catch 22 song, and easily the best Catch 22 instrumental. "Lamont's Lament" is pure magic.
There are couple of songs on here that aren't very good, such as "Regression" and "chasing the moon," which don't add much to the album. The biggest flaw of all though, is the track listing. For the life of me, I cannot understand why the band decieded to put "Rocky" and "Beguile the Time" first. Perhaps they wanted people to hear Ryan's vocals right off the bat, but it really doesn't flow very well. During live performances, Catch 22 usually opens with Lamont's Lament, and then plays Rocky. If Dino Sounds was edited this way, it would be a stronger record.
So there you have it -- my review of Dinosaur Sounds by Catch 22. Not a perfect album, but a darn good one. More than anything else, Dinosaur Sounds is a fun listen and it really just grooves. It's laid back, it's inquisitive, and it's got great vocals. Although the album was attacked by many of the bands fans, I still consider it a solid record from start to finish. Recommended for any ska kid or lover of music.
1 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Oh wow i heard they got worse but not this worse Apr 06, 2006
Yeah man this blows. I mean like really blows. They have like totally gone towards mainstream punk like Bowling for Soup. Yeah they definately lost nething they had when tom left to start streetlight manifesto. They sound a lot more like the old catch 22 in fact better the keasbey nights by streetlight is much better than catch 22's but their own original album Everything Goes Numb is even better than catch 22 ever did. Yeah as far as im concerned Catch 22 is dead.
0 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Not That Bad... Feb 28, 2006
Oh Catch 22 changed singers they suck now! Blah. This is alright, the new guy ain't so bad I don't know why everyone so sad about it, I mean there is Streelight Manifesto for all those homies who can't get enough of the other guy (i don't remeber his name, I haven't renewed my ska nerd licenses for quite some time). Anyways, is it just me or does it seem like it's impossible to not only find a good ska album these days (that's always hard either way) but a ska album PERIOD, you know what I mean, it seems like all the bands put thier horns away and said "Fuh kit". You know... This is decent, some songs are kinda "blah" but Rocky is a rager! I guess I'm more of a "singles" kinda guy so I can overlook a shakey album if it has some good songs on it, I'd bitch if it was an 8 track or something but if a song bores me I just skip and listen to the good track 3 more times to make up for it! Wine Stained Lips, Rocky, that song about Venus F8cking in the afternoon and a few others are stand outs. Don't listen to your friends who supposedly "heard" it in thier other friend's car and think it sucks, cause those friends probably listened to a bunch of whiners on a message board who (like them) had never listened to a single song on the album. If you like Catch 22, why wouldn't you like this?
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Still adjusting Feb 02, 2006
Catch 22 is far from the band they were in Keasby Nights...
First off, Kalnoky took half the band members and left before their first tour. Then, more members left after Alone in a Crowd. The band has maybe a quarter of the original members. That being said, before passing judgment on the album, you should consider how little the band (and its members) have in common with the original inception.
Despite how much different the band is, they still managed to pull through moderately. The absoultely horrendous Washed Up (and through the Ringer) album has been put to rest and the band has decided to develop their sound. The Vegas-strip style Skacore is original, no doubts there, if not a little lackluster and far from being perfected. The horns are colorful and vibrant, if somewhat underutilized. The vocal duets are interesting but the guitars lack originality. Highlights do exist including So Cold, Dreams of Venus and the bubbly Good Times. Although it falls apart in other areas including the poorly executed Beguile the Time. Still, it will be interesting to see the band develop its new sound and make its own mark. Unfortunately it seems Ryan Eldred and company still rely on Keasby Nights songs to retain their fanbase. Who knows, maybe the next album will surprise us.
3.5 stars
P.S. Fans of Kalnoky-era C22 should look at Streetlight Manifesto for what is essentially the followup. They sound ridiculously similar and have even re-recorded Keasby Nights with newly written solos.
Change is good Oct 19, 2005
Ok. Many, many people who I have spoken to about this album agree that its definately not the same Catch 22 that they were used to. This album certainly has a different feel than the cheasy "Keasby Nights" album or the more serious ska-core like "Alone in a Crowd". However, Catch 22 is moving onward without Thomas Kanoly, and they are doing a fine job. Granted, they are more of a "Rock with horns" band instead of a "punk with horns" band, but I think the change will ultimately be better than what they started with. Any band who loses their main singer/songwriter will go through a tough transitional phase. Lets just be patient and see where they go with their sound in the years to come. Who knows - maybe their next album will be even better.
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