Gym Class Heroes — The Quilt

I didn't know a whole lot about this group aside from some buzz about this record, so I took a shot on The Quilt with a mix of curiosity and reluctance. The curiosity stemmed solely from the fact that Gym Class Heroes toured with The Roots in a co-headlining slot, a pairing I now know was made based on GCH's back catalogue.

Apparently Gym Class Heroes have garnered a large underground following since 2001, but have since taken a Black Eyed Peas-like turn for the worst, which means that the group's best output in terms of actual hip-hop is behind them. That pretty much sums up The Quilt, which will probably go down as this year's Monkey Business.

Perhaps that's a tad harsh considering singer Travis McCoy still packs more lyrical punch than Fergie and her back-up rappers, and "Blinded By The Sun" has a laid-back ska rhythm that can loosely be compared to Sublime in a stretch. But those moments are rare and are drowned out in a sea of designed-for-MTV dance-pop cannon fodder.

Put it this way: if the Black Eyed Peas comparison doesn't make sense to you, then picture Fall Out Boy if Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump were a little more urban and wore less guyliner.

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