I'm sure that somewhere out there some people have been eagerly anticipating the next release from the lo-fi independent band known as Stü Art. These people, who surely must exist...somewhere...with only the slightest hint of mental instability, will no doubt be pleased by the band's latest release, entitled Chôpek Rink. The genius of the album is in its short, concise length. Nowhere is this characteristic felt more than on what is easily the best track on the album, "Australia". The band's message is made crystal clear on this particular recording, with little room for interpretation. Some may feel that what makes a song good is its ability to be interpreted in many different ways, and therefore allow a wide audience to relate. However, in this case, this critic feels that the band has needed a stronger sense of direction and a bit more clarity on their previous albums. Chôpek Rink, and "Australia" in particular, certainly brings this to the table. However, what stops this album from standing head and shoulders above the previous band's releases is the same thing that makes it good in its own right. The songs are perhaps a bit too short, and while a lighter, almost harmonious sound is certainly a step up, the lyrics seem to suffer. This trend is all too clear in the disturbing song "Just to be Abstract", which made the lead singer sound like he was having some difficulty relieving himself, while at the same time managed to head in no direction whatsoever. To be fair, Jim Nickras' lyrical and vocal talent is generally less painful to listen to, and even shines on "Temp File 1 Redux", as does Mike Nickras' musical accompaniment. This song stands out as one of the best on the album in that it gives a glimpse into the band's true talent. Overall, Chôpek Rink is a good effort from Stü Art. The band seems to place a bit more emphasis on their music, and the resulting sound is a definite improvement over past efforts. If the album was lyrically stronger, and yet managed to maintain the same light, fleeting feel, then it would have been more than good...maybe even great. Should Stü Art release such an album in the future, this reviewer would risk being considered one of those aforementioned mentally unstable people, and look forward to listening to it.

Chôpek Rink is the first new release from the band since the summer of 2000, and contains all new material. Both band members seem to have settled into primary roles on this album: j. nickras as lead vocals and guitar and m. nickras on keyboards. Together they produced a series of songs with a much more mellow feel than a fan may be used to. The song "I Missed (ver 2)" is an excellent example of this, with some of j. nickras' better lead vocals combined with electric piano accompaniment. The almost musicbox-like sound to the electric piano helps give the song a lighter feel than expected. Two of the best songs on the album are "Fall in Rome" and "in Akron, Alone." The first song is a j. nickras solo effort, recorded on his own without the rest of the band. And it rather surprisingly shines as a great song, perhaps partly because of the very rough recording quality. "Fall in Rome" brings back memories of "Hawaii" from the Finally... album. "in Akron, Alone" stands out for a totally different reason. While it's still a well-written and well-performed song, "in Akron, Alone" is a personal favorite on the album because of it's dark, moody tone. Surrounded by a bunch of lighter, almost 'pop-y' tunes, the depressed sounds of this song by m. nickras are fondly reminiscent of the band's earlier work. The only song this reviewer would give a definite thumbs down to would be "Just to be Absurd." There is a lot of moaning into the microphone and the instrumentals are disjointed and not very musical, not something that fits with the rest of the album. And frankly, this reviewer has no desire to hear j. nickras' heavy breathing. The backwards parody of this song, "Just to be Abstract" is kind of interesting, but seems like a bad end to a decent album. Those annoying moans played backwards now sound orgasmic, and that combined with the breathing conjures up all sorts of images that THIS reviewer would rather not have. Perhaps this could have been a more effective clip if it was a third of the length. Fortunately for anyone who got the same images as the reviewer, there is a bonus track following "Just to be Abstract," a sampling of different tracks combined to make one rather amusing bit. It's rather a relief after the orgasm track. All in all, this was a good album. The band seems to have moved away from the real poetic gems from their first albums, but their musical sound has matured to the point where it compensates. J. nickras has a pleasantly 'slightly stoned in a coffeehouse in SoHo' sound to his voice, as does m. nickras who is slightly less nasal. For essentially the entire album, the vocal and instrumental lines mesh together smoothly and musically, and if a person was familiar with the band, they could see Chôpek Rink's growth from the Finally... album. Not bad, not bad at all.

...has no feelings is a largely mediocre album. Not bad, but not particularly outstanding either. There are a few notable songs on here that catch the ear as worthy of re-playing, specifically "Hello," "You'll be the Giver," "Liquidators" and "Split." These four songs are what make the album worth listening to. "Hello" is the first song on the album, and sets you up thinking the following songs will be as interesting. The song is full of echoes and disjointed sounds, a sort of slowly bouncing tilt-a-whirl feeling made up of the one word "hello." Probably this reviewer's favorite song, however, was "You'll be the Giver." This song not only has the poetic lyrics that characterized the band's earlier albums, it follows up on the promise of better accompaniment and vocals. The overall effect is a much more cohesive song than was typical of Stü Art. The only song to really skip over is "Empty Headed." This is just a wash of overly loud drums, rather blah lyrics and vocals so soft you can't tell what is being said. While listening, this reviewer had the overpowering urge to make sure the cd player was still working correctly. This album's strength lies more in its music than its lyrics. The electric guitar is used much more effectively, and the performances are generally better than the early albums. In general, the songs were musically more interesting than previous albums, although the lyrics are clearly not as interesting as those early efforts. The end result is more pop and less poetry, a definite disappointment to a real Stü Art fan.

This album marks a turning point for Stü Art. The Perfect Response combines the musical improvements of the band's middle efforts with the lyricism of their early albums. With several outstanding songs, such as "Fast," "Where We Are," and "The End" this album is the band's most cohesive production. Songs tend to be shorter and less monotonous than on preceding albums. "Fast," truly one of the gems from this album, is only a minute and a half long. With well-written lyrics, great, dramatic vocals by M. Nickras and a wonderful stark guitar accompaniment, "Fast" is a moody, haunting song. "Where we Are" weighs in as the longest song on the album at only 2:07. Another one of the album's showpieces, it has a church hymn-like feeling that's accentuated by the keyboard accompaniment. The album is not without its flaws. The synthesizer has a tendency to get too loud and drown out the other accompaniment, and there are one or two songs that simply stink. "Runt," which features the band's cat screeching in the background is a very short instrumental. This reviewer is of the opinion that Stü Art should stick to songs with words, since the band's strength obviously lies in its lyrics. "5 Bullets in the Head" is the other glaringly horrible song, simply because of its overwhelming boredom. The lyrics, the accompaniment and the vocals all leave the listener rolling his or her eyes. Overall, however, this album is good. It is musically decent and a lyrical improvement. In addition, it has a number of songs that are a pleasure to listen to and are worth hearing multiple times.

Finally... continues the lyrical direction Stü Art returned to in their previous album, The Perfect Response. While some songs remain rather mediocre in their poetic impact, there are gems such as "An Ideal Scenario," easily one of the best pieces on the album. The lyrics combine with a simple, repetitive accompaniment and excellent vocals by J. Nickras to create a song that's worth listening to again and again. Additionally, one of the bonus tracks on the album is another version of "An Ideal Scenario" with the background vocals repeating a poem rather than the lyrics. The result is even more appealing than the original version. The 'chaos songs' that so characterize the band's earlier albums aren't as strong on Finally... Songs like "Plaster Children Garden Keepsake," "Friend of a Friend," and "Guided by This" are good, but not really outstanding. The fascinating complex mish-mash of sounds heard in their earlier pieces, like "Another Dippy Song" off the Stü Art album, just aren't as impressive. There is a bright moment in the bonus tracks, namely the "Finale" number, where M. Nickras screams profanities into the microphone. "Finale" manages to be chaotic without musical chaos, simply from the sheer noise and shock of the piece. That said, none of the chaos songs are bad, but none of them are outstanding either. This album is perhaps the most musically polished the band has produced yet. The vocals are often a little louder than necessary, sometimes seeming to cover the accompaniment, and there is a prolific use of keyboards, but clearly J. and M. Nickras have grown as musicians since Fly me a.... "If It's Good Enough For the Birds" and "Hawaii" are examples of really excellent accompaniment and vocals. The impact of the whole song is exactly what the listener wants. The sparse guitar combined with some not-so-monotone vocals could become a trademark of the band. On a side note, this reviewer would like to see more M. Nickras lead vocals. Some of the band's best songs off of previous albums featured M. Nickras, and it would be a shame for the band to bury that strength. Furthermore, J. Nickras should be congratulated on his vocals and guitar playing on this album. There was a great deal more variety, quality variety that is, and it made for a great listening experience.