Tweet

Album Details

• Artist: Don Caballero
• Album: World Class Listening Problem
• Label: Relapse
• Year of Release: 2006
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: on 2006-10-22

This was really hard for me. Don Caballero is one of my favorite bands of all time. They are one of a handful of groups I would ever consider getting a tattoo for. I could go on for hours about how important they are to me, but I’ll just leave it at this for now: Don Cab every day. That’s why this review is so hard for me to write. With “World Class Listening Problem”, drummer Damon Che has had to assemble an entirely new band, leaving him the only original member of the group. The rest of the band was filled in by former members of fellow Pittsburgh math-rock band Creta Bourzia. The record bears an obvious similarity to Don Cab’s early records, specifically “For Respect” and “Don Caballero 2”. In this sense, it seems to be a sort of regression for the band stylistically. What’s interesting about Don Caballero is the natural progression in each record. While each album sounds like a product of the same band, you can hear clearly where they are changing from release to release. Hearing their body of work as a four-piece alone shows them making a great deal of progress as they become more and more experimental, veering away from earlier metal leanings. “World Class Listening Problem” sounds most like the album made in between “Respect” and “Don Cab 2”: Many hard rocking guitar lines, in addition to moments in which they really try to imitate the genius textures of Ian Williams. In terms of structure, it is far more straightforward than all previous efforts, linking it again to the earliest recordings of Don Cab. This is obviously a very transitional point for the band. Damon has wrangled together a new group to replace a highly iconic band of musicians. And for their first studio effort, it’s a very impressive piece of work. But it still pales in comparison to all other Don Caballero records. It’s an entirely new band, with the same name and a similar sound.

User Reviews and Comments

Log In or Register to Rate Albums