Number 38: Sandwich by Psychostick
Release: May 5th, 2009
Genre: Comedy, Metal
Favorite Tracks: Minimum Rage, Do You Want a Taco?, You've Got Mail Enhancement
Where I heard it:
My second generation iPod Nano was one of my most treasured devices growing up in my teens. It was the first opportunity I had to gather songs I personally enjoyed, mostly from the radio. One of my most frequented stations to keep an ear out for new music was the hard rock hallmark of southern Colorado, 94.3 KILO. Some of my best memories are listening to my cousin's boombox radio in his room while we played video games for hours on end. A favorite of ours that made its way into the rotation was a song simply called BEER!!, a laughable ode to the carbonated beverage. There was a point in time where my cousin and I heard that song nearly every day, leading us to occasionally change the lyrics a la Yankovic and laugh our asses off at what we'd come up with. BEER!! was an undeniable selection for my iPod library, ultimately leading me to the artist page for Psychostick within the iTunes store. Curious to hear what else this band hand to offer, I was impeded by the dreaded paywall with no means of income, limited only to the complimentary thirty second previews of each song. I remember hearing the brief snippets of songs like P Is the Best Letter and Do You Want a Taco?, but I wasn't hooked like I was with their breakout radio hit. Over a decade later, the magic of streaming has made music more accessible than ever before, allowing me to revisit some of the tracks that passed me by in my childhood. Spotify was kind enough to recommend me today's album Sandwich based on my previous listening patterns, which I immediately recognized from my time browsing the iTunes store as a kid. It was a full-circle moment for me that I'm glad finally got back to me, as my musical taste had matured to a point where I now understood the comedic genius behind Psychostick.
Now you are suffering
Driving home, working out, or at your job
At your house, or wherever
On your iPod
~ This Is Not a Song, It's a Sandwich
What to expect:
If you're gauging whether or not Psychostick is the band for you, I would first point you back to the song that put them on the map: BEER!!. This track sets the benchmark for Psychostick's style of comedy, showcasing their tongue-in-cheek humor with hyperbolic musings that are exaggerated by the aggressive metal tones the band embraces. The trivial and mundane nature of the subject matter juxtaposed with the extreme tendencies of metal create amusingly hysterical scenarios, which channel the infuriating qualities within the small displeasures of life. Sandwich is merely a continuation of this ideology, loosely based around food-related conundrums many of us can relate to. This album cleverly identifies analogous events like dealing with douchebag roommates in Don't Eat My Food and working crappy fast-food jobs in Minimum Rage, paying close attention to minor details in order to validate the authenticity of these circumstances and drive home the punchline even further. Some songs may come off a bit childish, but that humor is completely on brand for Psychostick's target demographic of dudes in their twenties. A large strength of Sandwich is its variety in song lengths, distributing longer winded jokes like The Hunger Within next to quick quips like Grocery Escape Plan to keep the laughs coming. The band's comedic delivery is deliberately paced through each song to extract the most chuckles without overstaying its welcome. While the majority of Sandwich revolves around gastronomic themes, Psychostick also includes tunes like Die...a Lot! and We Ran out of CD Space that exist for no other purpose than to be silly little entertaining songs. If you're a fan of metal, you'll catch on quick to how talented each member of the band is, resulting in astounding chemistry that boosts the album both musically and comedically. Sandwich works as a concept because the performers don't take themselves too seriously, yet are flawless in executing the mechanics that rightfully earn them the respect they deserve as musicians. There's bound to be a track off Sandwich that will tickle your funny bone, regardless of your relationship with metal.
The internet is a wonderful place
The ability to retrieve information on any subject
Or communicate with anyone around the world
Is a significant step towards world peace
And the evolution of the human race
Then you've got these assholes who gotta be like:
"I'm gonna shit all over this precious gift to mankind!"
~ You've Got Mail Enhancement
Why it's my favorite:
The line between music and comedy is perilously thin to traverse with great success. For every Tenacious D and Lonely Island, there's ten other less successful acts that wear out the same tired joke to death and bring nothing new to the table. While I don't consider Psychostick titans of the industry, I admire them for their consistency and dedication towards the niche audience they cater to. Cornering the market of comedy metal, Sandwich displays a satirical awareness that relies on the life experience of the listener to complete the comedic circuit. The absurdity mixed with monotony strikes a chord with my similar sense of humor. Songs like Minimum Rage are hilarious to me because I lived through instances almost exactly like that when working fast-food for seven years. Perhaps even funnier to me than the content itself is Psychostick's ability to parody some of the eye-rolling tropes of hard rock and metal in the 2000's in their sound. Tracks like #1 Radio $Ingle lampoon the drabby stylings of radio-friendly hits from otherwise heavier bands, and Grocery Escape Plan models itself after hyper-meticulous math metal bands, all with the air of self-awareness toward how ridiculous some moments can be. Across the board, Sandwich stands as a legitimate metal album that just so happens to be able to split your sides with its hilarity.
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