The Workout - Feed Me a Stray Cat (2008)

When keyboardist Corey Tilton gave me a copy of Feed Me a Stray Cat he called it their "shitty little disk," but it is anything but. Hailing from scenic Weymouth, Ma (just south of Boston) The Workout is a unique group that sports impressive versatility, technical ability and songwriting in all of their music. A self-described "synthcore" band their songs seamlessly blend metal, punk and pop in a refreshing style that is surprisingly easy to listen to (even for ska freaks like me).

This disk may be short, but The Workout covers a lot of different ground on it. They move from pretty heavy metal, to elegant piano interludes to bouncy pop-punk in the blink of an eye and it never seems forced. On my first few play throughs I had trouble hearing when a song ended because the liquid smooth transitions thrown into every track. Passionate lead vocals set the bar pretty high for other acts and are backed up by a dedicated “screamer” which fosters interesting call-and-response sections. But that's not to say that every other band member isn't strikingly technically skilled. While it’s hard to pin down exactly what they’re doing musically The Workout definitely brings a lighthearted feeling to the table. Successfully walking the fine line between pleasantly goofy and inanely silly, you never get the feeling they’re taking themselves too seriously, even during shred-tastic solos and gut-wrenching breakdowns. The opening track is literally about Rock-paper-scissors and “Fuck Absinthe” is a hilarious and surprisingly insightful take on the classic pop-punk whiney break-up song.

My biggest gripe with this EP is the lengthy instrumental interludes and breaks. Maybe this is just why I don’t like metal, but songs seemed to take too long to intro and took too many extended interludes mid song; “The Draft” and “Return of the Hun” are both over 4:00. Aside from that one small gripe, Feed Me a Stray Cat has a lot to offer. The Workout’s sheer versatility ensures that there’s something for everyone. Throw in technically impressive... everything, a good does of melody when needed, and solid hooks and you get a winner. It may be only four tracks long, but good things come in small packages and everyone needs to give this one a listen.

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