One of the many bands who I never would have known of if it weren't for
the GameFAQs message boards is the brilliant entity known as Self. The only
artist who I can somewhat compare Self to justifiably is Beck, who I also
highly recommend. Hailing from Nashville this band blends influences from genres
including rock, punk, hip-hop, techno, and pop to create one of the most unique
sounding musical units I have had the pleasure of listening to in my life.

This album is particularly unique in that it was recorded completely using toy
instruments. That's right - toy drums, pianos, and various other children's
playthings such as toy phones and cars were used to make sound effects that were
used to make the music for this album. Words truly can not begin to describe the
unique twist. These effects add a unique futuristic sound to this album, hence
the name Gizmodgery. With lots of use of synthesizers to back up catchy creative
guitar work this album comes near to being sonic perfection. A perfect blend of
skilled musician ship and pop hooks that one must hear to truly understand and
appreciate.

Vocals on the album are for the most part excellent, with the exception of the
song Pattycake where they're irritatingly high. The only other song on the album
which I found myself disliking was Ilovetoloveyourlovemylove, a parody of
classic cheesy oldies love songs. While it's good for a listen once or twice it
lacks the unique drive that propels the other songs on the album. Probably the
most interesting song is the album "Trunk Fulla' Amps" a wonderful play on the
overuse of profanity in modern day rap and hip-hop where every other sentence
literally contains the word "mothafucka". One would expect this gimmick
to get old fast, but thanks to the unique vocal style and musicianship of Self
the song remains fresh no matter how many times you hear it. Other comedic
vocals include Miracle Worker, which contains lyrics about a girl killing her
boyfriend after bragging about scoring with her to his friends.

Despite it's sheer brilliance Gizmodgery does have its downsides - the
previously mentioned problems with Pattycake and Ilovetoloveyourlovemylove, not
to mention the heavy pop influence present on the album - many people may be
turned off by it. I however, hate pop music yet still can't get enough of this
album.

Aside from those minor problems though, Gizmodgery is a near perfect album,
which I highly recommend to anyone who's a fan of alternative music.