Youth of the Beast does acoustic guitar driven, pretty standard indie-rock with social commentary and a bit of a 70’s feel. The lead singer’s voice is featured prominently on all tracks, and has an unconventional, (almost Cure?) off-kilter feel that makes it a bit more interesting. The lyrics and vocals are the main focus of the album. Fun fact: this band is named for a 1960’s Japanese yakuza film. FCC: 3. Try 4, 7 (very different from the rest of the album), 11.

1. (2:23) Mid-tempo, waltz-y, acoustic guitar-driven beat, spacey “aahh” chorus, vocal sound level very high, cuts through accompaniment
2. (2:53) Soaring trumpet, jangly guitar, cheeseburger in paradise feel, Cure-esque vocals
3. (3:56) FCC. Minor groove, mid-tempo, distorted guitar solos, vocals pretty much sound like 2 with different accompaniment
4. (3:49)** Slower, deliberate beat, solo acoustic guitar, dirge/blues-y feel, vocals slightly distorted, xylophone solos lighten it a bit, transitions to feel-good guitar solo
5. (3:18) Upbeat shuffle, gravely kind of off-key feel to vocals, acoustic guitar-driven, minor, “la-la-la”s
6. (3:48) Ballad feel, melancholy, ode to rebellious youth, slower, exposed acoustic guitar, bongos
7. (2:37)* 80’s dance beat, vocals trade back and forth between chorus chanting and solo, hand-clapping, distorted guitar, all folk influence disappeared!
8. (4:54) Social critique of blue-collar work force, vocals main focus, mid-tempo, trumpet solo
9. (2:39) “We’ll be the last band to take a stand”, happy acoustic guitar/West Coast summer music overlaid with serious, off-key Cure-esque vocals
10. (2:40) Urgent trumpet, shuffle beat, hand-clapping, minor, bell chiming
11. (2:44)* Exposed, syncopated hand-clapping beat, upbeat jam, beach-y summer music about the open sky with social commentary
12. (2:33) I’m not sure if he’s trying to sing falsetto? but there’s something strange going on with his voice on part of this, solo vocals and acoustic guitar, minor, fades out