Johnny Screwbags – Dead Balloons

Johnny Screwbags – Dead Balloons – Album Review

Yessir!  Stoked for this guy right now.

Word on the street is that the new album, Dead Balloons, is coming out right around the corner at the start of the new year on January 2^nd, so keep your eyes peeled for that and circle the date on the new calendar you just got from your aunt Janet for Christmas.  I had a feeling this might be some of the best we’ve heard from Mitchel Paulson, aka Johnny Screwbags, to-date based on what we’d heard in the lead single “Neighbors Bleed” when reviewing it back in November, and then hearing the strong start he had with “So Damn Strange” as Dead Balloons kicked into gear felt like hearing instant confirmation of that.  Beginning with a combination of Hip-Hop and Metal to create a Nu Metal vibe on “So Damn Strange” worked really well for Johnny!  I might have endured through some highs & lows over the years with the music from that Mitchel Paulson dude, but so far as I’ve heard, Screwbags and I are all good.  What I liked about “So Damn Strange” is that, sure, while it would still technically qualify as a Nu Metal tune, the emphasis is placed much more on a Hip-Hop vibe than how it’s typically fused with Rap, and to me, that’s a good move…there’s less of this kind of combination out there when it comes right down to it.  The performance is tight though…it’s Hip-Hop that sticks pretty closely to the script when it comes to what Johnny’s bringing to the bars, but that’s cool with me…he’s not making any mistakes and he’s keepin’ it tight on the m-i-c.  He’s still got some room to bring the music up around him to give a song like “So Damn Strange” the beef and toughness that it’s calling out for to back up what’s being said in the lyrics, but I’m not unhappy with what I hear as it stands.  It’s close to what he’s going for from what I can tell, and closer than we’ve heard from Paulson in the past as well.  If he wants these tracks of his to stand out and sound larger than life though, sink those vocals into the mix just a bit further and let the raw edge of the music have its moment too…no harm in making that move, it’ll make it all sound bigger.

“Neighbors Bleed” is a track that I wrote about back in November this year, so it’s still plenty fresh for the release of this record.  You can read what I previously thought about it by clicking here if ya like, but suffice it to say, it’s still a quality cut and it’s a cohesive fit into the Dead Balloons lineup.  I’ve got a lot of respect for the guy for writing this one, yes indeed.  It takes courage to stand up and take a decisive political position these days, but that’s exactly the intentions of oppression.  The only way that changes is by the people to push back against the power, and that’s really what a song like “Neighbors Bleed” is all about doing, highlighting the recent atrocities being taken against the citizens of the United States.  Screwbags points out the slippery slope we’re all standing on, while also standing up for what’s right and making it crystal clear that no one out there is completely safe when it comes to an unchecked abuse of power.  Everyone’s a target for sure…and as your “Neighbors Bleed,” just remember that no amount of isolation will protect you – “if you think you’re safe from the troops cause you’re wearing a red hat instead of the blue” – know that when they run out of easy targets to pick off, that we’re all next in line.

As “10 Count” started, I’ll admit, I did feel that pinch of wanting a bit more out of the production so that the music and vocals were more fused together, rather than feeling like we’re consistently listening to entirely separate layers – make sense?  I mean, I get it…that’s how songs like these are actually created & all, but you can still find a way to make things mesh in a bit more of a complementary way.  Flow-wise, I think Johnny’s still got some space to switch things up more in the main meat of his metering in the bars, but I do appreciate that he brought something different to the main hooks of “10 Count” too.  As to whether or not that hook entirely works or not…or if he got the full potential out of it…I’m probably not as sure about that…that might still be up for debate.  I’ll put it this way – I like the ideas and the implied melody that it comes with…I guess I feel like there’s still some space to get a bit more out of it is all.  Don’t get it twisted though, I’m still ridin’ with Screwbags right now…”10 Count” is still another step in the right direction for this dude, and the more confidence he gains in knowing that, the more he’ll be able to attack moments like this in the future & get even more out of it.  Not to beleaguer the point, but again, allowing the music to take some of the weight off his shoulders by bringing it up in the mix will go a long way…it wouldn’t mask him leaving a little on the table in the hooks, but it’ll give our ears another option to go to as we’re listening, which in turn can give him a little more leeway with his performance.

He’s picked some stellar music to rock his rhymes with though, and I think that still comes through well enough overall.  Listening to the uniqueness of “Hello There, Sheep” felt like we’re listening to an artist that gets it…Johnny’s dialed right into the kind of beat and sound that’s going to work best for him, and he’s flexing that throughout the entire lineup of songs on Dead Balloons.  I’m always going to advocate for him to be a little less rigid with the structuring of his lyrics and find a way to add more diversity into what he’s spitting into the mic, but at the same time, he’s going for a very specific type of Hip-Hop vibe and it’s hard to argue that he’s not hitting the precise mark of his intentions in that regard.  The details are in the right place though…like, I really like how he’s got the backing vocals working with him on “Hello There, Sheep” – and of course I like the direction he’s taken with his lyricism here once again too.  Unafraid to be confrontational, Johnny’s not pulling any punches with what he has to say…and FUCK IS IT REFRESHING!  I mean, we can call it confrontational…that’s one way to see it…but I might be even more inclined to call what he’s rapping to be EDUCATIONAL – so listen up, chumps!  If you’re an anti-vaxxer…if you’re anti-science…if you’re pro #47…well…you’re probably going to struggle a bit with being hit in the face by so much reality at once in a track like “Hello There, Sheep” – but for the rest of us that are still capable of rational thought, we’re all cheering on Johnny Screwbags for what he has to say here.

Okay…so…here’s where I think I can help the guy out with a bit of an objective opinion.  Listen to tracks like “10 Count” and “Dead Balloons” – what do you hear?  I’m willing to bet that we ALL hear tracks like these in the same way, Johnny included.  The main strengths are where the space is, simple as that.  When Screwbags is lining the bars with syllables from start to finish, things get a bit murkier and don’t tend to make as much of an impact – but when he gives things a little more space in that respect, and starts really connecting with the music and using its dynamics to his advantage, the dude is sounding absolutely incredible.  So like, in the case of his title-track, the verses basically crush in comparison to what he’s created for the chorus, and it’s all because of that space.  He’s able to flex the swagger, style, and attitude with more definition, and as a result, you’ve really got a song in “Dead Balloons” that plays like it almost has two choruses, because each part is designed with its own set of hooks and direction.  I personally believe that the way his verses are structured…that’s the way…that’s the blueprint – but he might feel differently, and that’s cool too.  Hell, there isn’t a single day in the life of a music critic where someone doesn’t feel differently than I do about something, so believe me when I tell ya, I’m cool with it.  We like what we like and love what we love.  The real bottom line, to me, is that the verses of “Dead Balloons” might very well be some of the strongest stuff I’ve heard from Johnny Screwbags or anything that Paulson has created so far.  I love the confidence he’s got on display, I love the way he’s able to pivot and shift his words with the extra space to do it, and hell yeah, I want to hear more of that from him in the long run.  Right now, I’m more than happy to take what I can get – “Dead Balloons” is a track I’ll happily fuck with – from the lyricism to the core ideas at the center of it all, it’s a strong contender when it comes to the best on this record.  “Watch me as I lose my shit” is a hook all to itself as well – I think the crowd at the front of the stage would basically lose their fucking minds when Johnny raps that.

“Agree To Be Your Enemies” is yet another track that has Johnny swinging big against the long arm of the law, and you betcha, I’m thankful for it & I know I won’t be alone in that.  Right now more than ever we need EVERYONE to take a cue from Johnny and STAND ON BUSINESS y’all – these are OUR streets!  “We ain’t never gonna surrender,” he raps – and I like to think he’s right about that.  Time will tell the full story of course, but if you haven’t been licking the boots trying to stomp us out by now, I highly suspect that you’ll continue to resist being crushed by them until your last dying breath, like Screwbags here.  “Agree To Be Your Enemies” shows that the man has no problem whatsoever in pointing a finger straight into the chest of the current administration’s unjustified policies of taking the military into the streets of the people – he’s had enough of the bullshit like so many others have, but he’s actually DOING something about it rather than just sluffing it off.  We do NOT have the time for complacency, and every track that Screwbags has rapped on throughout Dead Balloons is a reflection of the need for URGENCY.  If you do not realize that “the war has begun and we the enemies” by now, rest assured, you WILL – and while we could hope it isn’t too late by then, it will be.  Act NOW while you still have the means to America…we’ve seen this movie in history before, and it ain’t pretty.  “You thought you held us down but we rising back up” – the force is strong with this one, and I like Johnny leading by example like he is now.

It’s going to take more than just the man to accomplish the resistance we need.  It’s going to take more than just Americans to push back against #47 and his authoritarian bullshit destroying the democracy we’ve all been so lucky to have throughout the years.  It’s safe to say that we’ve taken that for granted at this point, but although the threads are exposed, the fabric is still intact…for now.  On “The Ones,” Johnny reminds us that it’s up to ALL OF US, collectively, to protect who and what is important to the life, liberty, and freedom we’ve come to love.  That means YOU – yes YOU – the very person reading this right now.  If you’re not doing what you can to help save society from cannibalizing itself, then it’s YOUR complacency that will be part of the downfall of democracy.  “Join us in the streets” – that’s an official invitation from Johnny Screwbags…you don’t need to take it from me, take it from him!  This dude has got excellent perspective and he’s put that on display all throughout the lineup of seven songs on Dead Balloons…honestly, it’s inspiring.  Hopefully it wakes a few people up.  It really wasn’t that long ago when folks on both sides of the aisle would have agreed with so much of what he’s saying on “The Ones” and throughout this record…and I think that’s part of what’s frustrating for the rest of us resisters – watching the spines of the right completely melt to worship at the altar of one of history’s WORST human beings ever, is so damn hard to take…but this fight ain’t over yet.  That orange fuck has messed with “The Ones” that will eventually hand him his pink slip…it’s only a matter of time, yes, but we still need to be active in encouraging that time to be sooner rather than later.  It doesn’t matter WHO or WHAT is taking your rights away, ever – that’s simply your cue to RISE UP and RESIST with a FIST raised high in the air.  You’re on the right side of history Johnny Screwbags…keep fighting the good fight bro.

Find out more about Johnny Screwbags from his official website at:  https://johnnyscrewbags.com

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