Gym Class Heroes: The Quilt

Although the success of Gym Class Heroes came as no surprise, logic would suggest that their new album, The Quilt, will be key in determining their longevity. Their last album, As Cruel As School Children, was released to moderate fanfare; however, due to the crossover appeal of songs such as “Cupid’s Chokehold” and “Clothes Off”, the album not only showcased Gym Class Heroes at their finest, but may have just established them as legit. Now, with their new album The Quilt, the spotlight has never been as bright. The only question is, will that same success be their undoing.

In all my years of listening to music, I’ve noticed a common trend. Whenever an artist/band becomes “commercial”, complacency seems to follow. The idea of playing it safe, in my mind, is a big risk when compared to those that don’t conform; but then again, who am I to judge? My job as a blogger is to provide you with a fair and unbiased opinion and, for the most part, I think I’m pretty thorough. That being said, The Quilt is a step back for Gym Class Heroes. Not only does it fail to expand on the creativity that critics have praised them for but, more importantly, it fails to deliver anything [relatively] new. Allow me to explain.

The growth of an artist/band can only [really] be measured by how much work is put into an album; and with Gym Class Heroes, you pretty much know what you’re going to get. Their music, which reflects a melting pot of genres, speaks for itself; however, in my opinion, the spark that made these guys interesting is no longer there. Songs like “Cookie Jar” come off as feeble attempts to recapture commercial success, and while catchy, it’s going to take more than an assist from The Dream to be considered mainstream. All hope is not lost, however. The Estelle featured “Guilty As Charged” is a stand out track that blends the rhymes of Travis McCoy and the vocals of Estelle together nicely. Elsewhere, the Cool and Dre produced “Peace Sign/Index Down” is a buzz worthy selection and is it just me or does Busta Rhymes not get enough recognition? His guest spot here is [somewhat] lackluster than normal but, still, this song is pretty dope.

From there, the album mostly drags and it’s a shame because I had such high hopes. A little bit more could’ve been done, I guess; but with Gym Class Heroes being such an abstract group, it’s hard to be subjective towards their music. Sill, maybe The Quilt will grow on me with time but, for now, it has far too many holes and not enough patches.

Rating: 5.5 headphones out of 10