Track Listings (12) - Disc #1| All Artists: Action Figure Party Title: Action Figure Party Members Wishing: 0 Total Copies: 0 Label: Blue Thumb Release Date: 5/22/2001 Genres: Dance & Electronic, Alternative Rock, Jazz, Pop, Rock Style: Electronica Number of Discs: 1 SwapaCD Credits: 1 UPCs: 731454341721, 0731454341721 |
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Search - Action Figure Party :: Action Figure Party
 | Action Figure Party Action Figure Party Genres: Dance & Electronic, Alternative Rock, Jazz, Pop, Rock
Keyboardist Greg Kurstin is best known as a founder of the eclectic rock combo Geggy Tah. With Action Figure Party, Kurstin steps out of character to create what could be described as an interesting collision between the B... more » |
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Amazon.com Keyboardist Greg Kurstin is best known as a founder of the eclectic rock combo Geggy Tah. With Action Figure Party, Kurstin steps out of character to create what could be described as an interesting collision between the Beastie Boys' groovier work and Steely Dan's sophisticated mix of jazz and pop. Kurstin's percolating electric keyboard work kicks out catchy melody after catchy melody, and he also takes a vocal turn on a couple of tracks. Kurstin hasn't forgotten his friends, and here he's supported by a crew that reads more like the A-list at the Viper Room than a list of sidemen for a groovy jazz album (Flea appears, as does Sean Lennon--on turntables no less). But even with his revolving crew, Kurstin keeps the music fun and focused--the songs have a taut pop polish and memorable melodies that truly hold up under repeated listens. And that was likely his objective from the beginning of this project. --Tad Hendrickson Similarly Requested CDs
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CD ReviewsJoin the Party Morgen Selmer | New Hampshire | 09/12/2001 (4 out of 5 stars) "Rock? Jazz? Eventually, you ask yourself where one ends and the next begins. You might find the answer in Action Figure Party, the eponymous brainchild of Geggy Tah co-founder Greg Kurstin. Released on the Verve label, long renowned for its outstanding jazz catalog, this debut album combines elements of both genres in one of the most flawless crossover efforts since US3 raised the roof - and the bar - with "Cantaloop" in 1993. Unlike that dynamite dance cut, however, which sampled every single note from recordings within the Blue Note pantheon and then overlaid the whole with hip-hop lyrics and sensibility, Action Figure Party takes only its cues - not its identity - from the jazz greats of the past. Reading like a guest list from the after-hours party at an alternative rock festival, this album boasts the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist Flea, Buckcherry's Yogi on guitar, alumni of Garbage, No Doubt, Air, Soul Coughing, and, not least, Sean Lennon (cutting wax, no less). Normally, all-star casts have all-star egos with which to contend, but all seems to be in harmony on these twelve tracks, only two of which feature vocals from multi-instrumentalist Kurstin. Instead, the writer/pianist/producer chooses to share the spotlight with the bevy of outstanding talent that he has assembled, including a two-piece horn section, four drummers, five bassists, and Kurstin himself helming the operation at either the piano or an organ that sounds fresh from the ballpark. The result hovers somewhere between Medeski, Martin & Wood and Bootsy Collins on the fonk-meter. Right from the opening cut, "Everybody Ready," which sets the tone for the entire album, Action Figure Party cuts loose a deluge of dance ready jazz licks, unaided by electronic drumbeats or rap-star cameos. The two vocal cuts, "Action Figure Party" and "Clock Radio" deliver nonsense lyrics in a manner as upbeat as the music behind them. The couple of down-tempo numbers are as well orchestrated as anything on the disc, but they lack the immediacy and vivacity of the rest of the record and are, ultimately, dismissible. The closer, "Flow," comes closest to the golden age of cool jazz (think 50's and 60's Blue Note releases), while the rest seem to meld the hot jazz of the twenties and thirties with the soul funk of the seventies. The tracks are fully realized and executed and, though arguably overproduced, they still manage to carry a spirit of improvisation in their notes. The limited use of samples (both vocal and instrumental) on the album serves the music, rather than detracting from it; no Moby-esque "look-at-the-cool-samples-I-found" showboating here, just a jazz outfit that knows how to rock. Moby's music is great for what it is, but if you want a band that bares its own soul rather than borrowing someone else's, you might be better served by this record. So the question still stands: Jazz? Rock? Where does one end and the other begin? Join the Party and find out." Fight for the groove ReedSpeed | 06/06/2001 (4 out of 5 stars) "There are a few tracks that you can really jam to, and others such as "Clock Radio" that are wickedly catchy. Surprisingly, this album has a strange unifying sense to it, even though there are so many different genres thrown into the mix. The diversity is what the groove thrives off of, and is more than worth checking out." ULTRA, ULTRA HIP!!! William L. Makiling | Ventura, CA | 08/15/2003 (5 out of 5 stars) "I can't even describe this music. I've never heard anything like it. If you mix jazz, funk, Beck, rock and soul in a blender, then you might be able to grasp a category for this wonderful music, but it's like trying to describe the taste of sugar to someone who's never tasted it before.I just happened to stumble across this album one night when I did a search on the Internet for my favorite drummer, Gary Novak. It brought me to a page that had some of the albums that he played on and this was one of them. I played some of the sample clips and I was hooked from the very first second of the very first song. EVERY song that I heard was just too cool. If you're a music fan, you've got to check out this album. I would give it 6 stars if I could."
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