Illinois - What the Hell do I Know? Review
by Patrick Muldowney
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There are a slew of bands who have recently led me to believe Transmissions from the Satellite Heart is now required listening on campuses across the country. If this is not the case, maybe it just took the musical world 15 years to catch up with The Flaming Lips. Of all these clones, Illinois' What the Hell do I Know is both the least obvious and the most successful. It is most directly reminiscent of Transmissions
in spirit and quality, rather than sound. Like an obese man, Illinois is undoubtedly phat, but each roll has its own identity.
For those laid back, reflective fellers, Illinois provides mashed turnip harmonies, after school special keys, and Newberry lyrics (see "alone again", "what can i do for you"). For those mod beat hoppers who can't get enough simple club beats with wiseass wit, Illinois serves up a few dishes of Mellow Gold (see "nosebleed", "screendoor", "bad day"). But if you're stuck saying, "Damn, I'm just an educated Wrangler rocker looking for some adrenaline laced, head nodding, dog biting beauty," What the Hell do I Know is also something you should know. "One on One" is an anthemic note buried in the sandbox. A superhuman pigeon kicker with poignantly hidden sports phrases that leave one to question how many people are impervious to allusion.
For those who are consistently person of the year candidates (like myself), lift all the folds, let them fall like dominoes, and consider seven (tracks) your lucky number. Then again, I went to school in Indiana, PA, we competed against California, PA, and Illinois is a PA band, so What the Hell do I Know?
Tracks added to iPod: alone again, nosebleed, what can i do for you, screendoor, one on one, headphones, bad day (***all 7 songs***)
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Illinois - What the Hell do I Know?
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