It's not often I dock an album in its final rating for a hidden track; usually I just go online and complain about what a stupid practice this is.
But in the case of Supafuzz's self-titled debut album, the "bonus" track (and I use that term loosely) that follows "Joke" is the biggest waste of time since I received The Jerky Boys in the mail. How bad was it? This is the first time in the history of "The Daily Vault" that I didn't bother finishing the track.
Following up what turned out to be a surprisingly solid album of alternative-flavored rock with a series of prank phone calls... I swear, I don't know who thinks this is funny. True story: when I used to moderate a high school newspaper, the kids I mentored thought the Jerky Boys were so big and funny. I asked them, "What would you do if someone prank-called you?"
Their response: "I'd kick their ass"... which proved my point that this stuff isn't funny, especially if it's happening to you. It made them think for a minute.
Why this trio - vocalist/guitarist David Angstrom, bassist Dean Smith and drummer Chris Leathers - would mess up an otherwise solid album is beyond me. They bashed out over the course of 50 minutes some solid efforts (especially from a newcomer to the scene). Tracks like "Mr. Policeman," "Pretty Blank Page" and the title track show that this band has something behind it, and with the right breaks could make it to the big-time. (They're no less deserving in that regard than some of the sewage I've heard from the genre over the last few years.)
Musically, Supafuzz is a solid unit. In the category of songwriting, they're also solid. The only drawback I found in their music is that the energy seemed to dip near the halfway point, blurring tracks like "Long Way Home" and "You Don't Even Know Me..." together, even after multiple listenings. This, however, is a problem that is corrected through the passage of time, and I have no doubts that Supafuzz could overcome this one obstacle.
Had it not been for the incredible waste of time that makes up track 15 (and five minutes of it is dead air, for Crissake - who thinks this stuff up?!?), I'd have been inclined to give Supafuzz a "B". To use a football analogy, the band unfortunately fumbled the ball just before they made it to the end zone. Some advice, guys: Don't make the same mistake twice.