Kisschasy. One word, no ‘e.’ Too B or Not Too B is not only a terrible pun, but the title for their latest release. Once again they’ve dropped the ‘e,’ this time in favour of a punny take on William ‘Kiss’ Chasespeare’s (huhuh, geddit?) famous line in Hamlet.
With a tour currently in progress, this collection makes no effort to hide behind its money making and promo-generating motives for release. Fortunately for the fans, this is not a complete waste of time as most of these exercises in profit generation generally tend to be, for it contains both the band’s long out of print EPs, Darkside/Stay Awake and Cara Sposa, as well as a fair collection of hard-to-find tracks.
For anyone arriving late for the Kisschasy bandwagon, a lot is to be learned about where the band came from and how they have changed over the years. Over their six or so years of existence not a lot has really changed in terms of their style, and if these songs were recorded to the same level of quality they would easily fit on either of their long players. In fact, the production values are about the only thing that distinguishes this collection of ‘old’ from new.
In addition to the songs from the EPs, there is a stack of b-sides and previously unreleased material, including an interesting take on Gin Blossoms’ Hey Jealousy. Round it out by a bonus DVD featuring all their video clips to date and you have yourself a tidy little package whether you’re a new fan or old.
When I first picked this release up I expected it to be a steaming pile of dookie, a shallow and poorly organised collection, and an utter waste of time. While it’s not the greatest thing I’ve ever seen – or rather, heard – it might be worth your while should you happen to enjoy the Kisschasy brand of rock.
