Search - Tiny Masters of Today :: Skeletons

A promising beginning.

Greg Kinne | midwest | 07/08/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Ah youth, how easily it is often misspent on silly activities that often don't amount to much. When I was the age of the members of Tiny Masters of Today I think I spent more time watching cartoons and thinking of innovative ways of snapping training bras after school rather than writing punk rock songs and receiving accolades from indie rock stars. The Tiny Masters of Today comprise brother Ivan (age 15) and sister Ada (age 13) who are more concerned with rocking out than my trivial pursuits. The band also has a drummer who maintains status quo by going by the name of Jackson. The Tiny Masters of Today remain sort of a curio, stuck in a world where they'll be perceived as a novelty but a step ahead of whatever the teen pop star audience is doing.



On "Skeletons" The Tiny Masters of Today seem to have been influenced by a bit of hip/hop via listening to a lot of Beck records. There's a ramshackle NYC vibe throughout which makes me wonder how much adult intervention was needed to create an album as poppy and as stylistically coherent as this one. Opener "Drop The Bomb" is a trippy distorted instrumental that meanders about for two minutes two long. This song might work in a live setting as an introduction but here it just kind of fumbles along at a medium pace. "Two Dead Soldiers" is one of the first true songs on the album that plays like a second introduction. "Two Dead Soldiers" features creepy kid cheers and samples that work effectively on Radiohead's "15 Step" but not so much here. I feel like I'm listening to a "Kidz Bop" record at times, and that freaks me out a bit. "Skeletons" is a chunky and grungy punk number which fares better than the aforementioned tracks.



While limited in style, The Tiny Masters of Today are capable of crafting memorable pop numbers such as "Monkey In The Middle" and "Ghost Star." Their age is certainly a factor in the writing of these songs as you won't find too much depth on "Abercrombie Zombie" or "Understandable Honesty." That's fine, because the kids are writing what they know about which is way more acceptable than singing about third world debt or problems in Croatia. As the Tiny Masters of Today grow and develop their craft, they may address those issues, who knows? Until then listeners should be satisfied that this band isn't following the path of Hannah Montana."

For your consideration

Brian J. Prewitt | Anaheim, CA. (USA) | 07/20/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Another wonderful album from those kids from Brooklyn, NY. This sophmore release from the teen duo Ivan and Ada follows their 2007 debut "Bang Bang Boom Cake". On this record they have added a third permanent member to the band, drummer Jackson who replaces a drum machine used on their first album and Russell Simins who played live performances.



Tiny Masters of Today has improved on their low-fi, basement sound and given us another installment of what we loved about them from their earlier work. Catchy tunes such as "Pop Chart", "Real Good", "Ghost Star" and the title track "Skeletons" will please any listener.



Having played major music festivals, SXSW, and many concerts in Europe and New York the band has already generated a huge fan base and recieved praise from many notable critics/publications. On their first record the band collaborated with many other artists such as Karen O., singer for the band Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs and Fred Schnieder of the B-52's. With this album it is soley the band themselves, proving that they can do it on their own and don't need guest artists to create something special.



The gem for me on this album is the final track on the cd, "Abercrombie Zombie" which is faster and more punk sounding than "Radio Riot" and it incorporates a familiar theme similar to "Trendsetter" from the first record.



This is a good album and for anyone who hasn't heard of the Tiny Masters of Today I would encourage you to buy this album and give them a try. For anyone who is already a fan of the band, you will not be disappointed with this new album."