Gym Class Heroes Albums

Gym Class Heroes Albums (4)

'The Quilt'

Release Date 9/9/2008

Tracks 15

Label Fueled by Ramen

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What The Critics Say

The Quilt is as good a name as any for Gym Class Heroes' post-hip-hop pop collage, as they weave together discarded strands of junk culture into something new yet naggingly familiar. More than most of their peers, they embody all the glorious and maddening contradictions of their generation. Raised in the heyday of hip-hop while steeped in the irony of '90s alt-rock, persistent nostalgia for '70s kitsch, and '80s new wave, Gym Class Heroes see no borders between any era or style, mixing and matching the parts to create funky Frankensteins that feel as pop as they do rap. On The Quilt, Travis McCoy and crew attempt to amp up the urban and hip-hop just a bit, working with Cool & Dre -- producers with the Game and Lil Wayne to their credit -- and having Rihanna associate the Dream in for the single "Cookie Jar," but they do all this without abandoning longtime running-partner Fall Out Boy Patrick Stump, or their love of syrupy soft rock hooks, a love that manifests in a duet with Daryl Hall, and choruses that feel borrowed from Ben Folds, or maybe Jack's Mannequin. All this stylistic hopscotch winds up unwittingly emphasizing just how much Gym Class Heroes are indebted to OutKast's -- or perhaps more specifically André 3000 -- genre-bending, as the best moments here float on the same kind of giddy, infectious choruses that fueled "Roses." That Gym Class Heroes get a little lax on their verses points out that they're better in broad strokes than details, just like how they deliver clever concepts that call out for a bit more wit than McCoy manages to muster. And that's also how Gym Class Heroes' Quilt is very, very much of its time: it skates by on the surface, which is appealing for a while, but in large doses it can seem like too much empty style. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

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'As Cruel as School Children'

Release Date 7/25/2006

Tracks 14

Label Fueled by Ramen

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What The Critics Say

Implementing live instruments instead of looped samples or beats -- and helmed by the quick tongue of MC Travis McCoy -- there's really no denying the enjoyable affair that is Gym Class Heroes' As Cruel as School Children. Launching with the booty-shaking "The Queen and I," the Heroes prove straightaway that they've got enough confidence, catchy rhythms, and sense of melody amid all their tight grooves and emo hipster instincts to keep things moving right along. Being a hip-hop outfit largely residing in the world of the Warped Tour, it somehow makes sense that Arrested Development's Speech makes an appearance ("Biters Block") alongside guys like William Beckett from the Academy Is... ("7 Weeks") and Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump (on the eccentric "Clothes Off!"). But while this combination of influences largely works to Gym Class Heroes' musical advantage and overall appeal, there's still something that makes their music seem not quite like a novelty and more like a fleeting pleasure. How long can a song based on Myspace relationships ("New Friend Request") really last before lines like "My man Tom introduced us but I was too shy to say hi" or "I never see my face in your Top 8" become more annoying than witty? And even if hitting topics like the life of a touring band and calling out fake, trendy music is relevant, by now it just seems more a cliché. The band's sincerity isn't in question and Gym Class Heroes are a talented crew. But ultimately, it's this standard spring of inspiration that keeps As Cruel as School Children from being much else than a perfect hangout record for summer 2006. ~ Corey Apar, All Music Guide