Real quick, because I already reviewed “The Final Funktier” for the June 2010 issue of Time Out New York Kids Magazine…
Photo by Kevin Fry
I’m not going to keep you in suspense. Heck, if you read the TONY Kids article, you kinda already know what I think about this CD. So here it is in a nutshell: Recess Monkey’s intergalactic opus is far and away their finest hour. Keep in mind this is coming from someone who voted their last album as tops in ’09. As good as “Field Trip” is, “The Final Funktier” is better.
While it may be tempting to consider the non-musical skit “Space Elevator Music” a dud, the fact is that both my girls adore those 2+ minutes of dialogue between bassist Jack Forman and band manager Mayor Monkey. The Bear and Mouse have gone so far as to pretend that hotel shower stalls are actually their very own means for reaching outer space and, thanks to the vertical box from our new hot water heater, we too have a space elevator in the middle of our album living room (see photos of our elevator here). In reality, there are no duds on “The Final Funktier”. Instead, there’s hit after hit of danceable, sometimes sentimental but always hilarious, well-constructed pop masterpieces.
Enjoy the brand new Readeez/Recess Monkey mashup video for “Jet Pack”:
So, that makes this a Recess Monkeez?
The Mouse was singing along with “Jet Pack” before the 2nd verse was through, we all groove to “Constellation Conga” and I’ve fallen deeply in love with “My Brother is a Satellite”, believing that it includes songwriter Drew Holloway’s finest vocal delivery and lyric with “mom says his imitation / is a form adoration / I don’t see the correlation / brother is a satellite” and then later “and when he’s in my orbit / I really can’t ignore it / I’m sure there’s bound to be a / different trajectory for him / and if that day comes soon / I might even miss my little moon”. Seriously, how freakin’ adorable is that?
On the strength of their funky space odyssey, Recess Monkey is hereby dubbed the universe’s coolest kids rock band.
*A Recess Monkey “The Final Funktier” CD was provided to OWTK for review. The opinions expressed above are unbiased and true – no arm twisting took place in the review process.
