CD: Tragedy Of The Commons Artist: Skittish Label: N/A Rating: 3.5/5 Best Song: Carousel Reviewer: Bobby Gorman

When I first saw this album I was intrigued. I liked the artwork, the name, the look and the overall feel I got form the album. But still, being me, I didn't throw the album in right away because I had some other CDs to listen to first. So my first proper introduction to the band happened randomly, while I was rollerblading home from work the song Here Be Monsters came up on shuffle play on my iPod. It started off good, but then became boring and that right there put a damper on the whole album for me. So a few days later I finally sat down and threw in the album to hear it front and back, and boy was I surprised; because despite my initial reaction to the band, Tragedy Of The Commons was awesome.

The instant the album started playing, I realized that it was just that: an album. Something you had to listen back to front to truly appreciate and understand; not just pick and choose a random song and hope for the best. Because singularly, the songs fall short, but together they are unbeatable as you get the full feel for them. You get the story, the buildup and the release and it flows so well that you are simply put in awe.

Jeff Noller, the mastermind behind Skittish was able to somehow combine the massiveness of Muse with the down to earth, saloon feel of Murder By Death with the sing-along/clap-along catchyness of Say Anything with vocals that sound remarkably similar to Jupiter Sunrise and it works. While none of the songs feature the momentum that Bemis puts into his Say Anything songs, Noller is still able to pack a wallop with a more mellow, piano-driven approach. But songs like The Phantom's Toast and Carousel work perfectly thanks to that setting.

Still, despite the unique, memorable sound of Skittish, the highlight of the album is the story that it encompasses. The stories of failures, trials and errors, innocence lost and then regained. Stories of people in bad situations needing a change. Stories of the impending future and the past left behind. Stories of love and shyness; and a toast to the fallen comrades who helped mold the world into what it is today. The lyrics are spectacular, it's just too bad they aren't printed in the booklet, you have to go online to get them.

Oddly enough, Here Be Monsters is still probably my least favorite track on the album; the rest, however, flows perfectly. It's an experimental, conceptual album that, when listened to front to back, is nearly unbeatable.