Unbiased album review says my album is high-quality:
Album review: "I'm Sorry Young Man, There's No Skating Here: A Love Story in 4 Acts" by Steve Tasker
"ISYM,TNSH:ALSi4A is an unbelievable masterpiece." - New York Times
Steve Tasker, a veteran of the underground road-trip mixtape series, and the creator of such tapes as "####ty Europop Dance Music 08" and "All New Order, All the Time" cold-cocks the mixtape scene with his latest jaunt - "I'm Sorry Young Man, There's No Skating Here: A Love Story in 4 Acts". The mixtape, which is already receiving Grammy buzz and was named Rolling Stone's album of the month, features an eclectic mix of hip-hop, indie rock, and just general trash music. "Well, when we started," said Tasker, "I had literally no theme in mind. But as we went on, I started weaving this sensational love story - boy meets girl, the two #### like stoned rabbits, they both cheat on one another, and then get back together. It's the ultimate story of redemption."
The album's 4 acts each feature a different theme in the twisting plot. The story begins with The Roots' eerie "Phrenthrow" before delving into the story itself with Lupe Fiasco's "Kick, Push". The story's protagonist meets and falls in love with a girl at the skateboard park. As the two become closer and closer, Tasker's lighthearted and upbeat selections - such as Feist's "Mushaboom (Postal Service Remix)" and Vampire Weekend's "M79" - keep the mood fun and fresh. Act II, designed to signify the physical relationship that comes with, in his own words, "stoned rabbits #######", features a nice mix of house, new wave, and electropop sounds. But as the act dwindles, the eccentric sounds give way to more gloomy, ominous tracks, including Ladytron's "Destroy Everything You Touch" and Crystal Castles' "Untrust Us".
After a brief interlude, the story picks back up once again, with our two lovers splitting up after a fight at the shoreline. A love pentagon has formed and has torn the two apart. Tasker manages to keep the usually emo song themes upbeat with his lyrical choices - "I could've sworn that one and one make two...but it's 5!" (Architecture in Helsinki) or "Oh, #######it, I think I've lost you" (Hot Hot Heat). The third act gets increasingly more depressing, headed up by his first two draft picks, but Act IV finishes the mixtape on an upbeat note. Highlighted by a pair of Sigur Ros tracks and the Bloc Party classic "Banquet", the act is meant to signify the reunion of our two protagonists.
Personally, in our opinion, we don't think the theme or the song choices make any sense. But the album has a cool name, and the songs are ok. For a theme that was completely thrown together this afternoon, we have no choice but to give it two thumbs up.
Pitchfork rating: 9.98/10.00
Act I: "Sunset on a Saturday"1. The Roots - "Phrenthrow"
2. Lupe Fiasco - "Kick, Push"
3. Reflection Eternal - "The Blast"
4. Vampire Weekend - "M79"
5. Sufjan Stevens - "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!"
6. Feist - "Mushaboom (Postal Service Remix)"
Act II: "All I need is 1 life, 1 try, 1 breath, I'm 1 man"
7. Daft Punk - "Aerodynamic"
8. J. Clay Tweel - "Gummy Substances"
9. Crystal Castles - "Untrust Us"
10. Ladytron - "Destroy Everything You Touch"
11. Nas - "One Mic"
Interlude:
12. Talib Kweli feat. Kanye West, Black Thought, and Pharoahe Monch - "Guerrilla Monsoon Rap"
13. The Roots - "!!!!!!!"
14. Seu Jorge - "Rebel, Rebel"
Act III: "I'm not here - this isn't happening"
15. Broken Social Scene - "7/4 (Shoreline)"
16. Metric - "Combat Baby"
17. Architecture in Helsinki - "It'5!"
18. Hot Hot Heat - "Oh, Goddamnit"
19. Easy-Star All-Stars - "Let Down"
20. The Killers - "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine"
21. Radiohead - "How to Disappear Completely"
Act IV: "One of a kind in a full house"
22. Kanye West feat. Jay-Z and J. Ivy - "Never Let Me Down"
23. Sigur Ros - "Hoppipolla"
24. Bloc Party - "Banquet"
25. Sigur Ros - "Untitled 8"