"Succulent Steve: Our First Year" shows the greatness of Jason's Innocence. Both Sam and Nick's minds were at full force masterminding during the year that came to be the "Succulent Steve" era. It contains all of their classics, except for the one known most, and if you don't know that one....then you probably don't know the band. It does contain very raw tracks though which show the overall gritiness of the band, from Sam's early screaming vocals and Nick's crazy guitar to Sam's simple guitar and Nick's beautiful piano and vocals. The band's progress in the last year is clearly monumental. Although some of the early stuff on this album may seem a little lacking, it really isn't if you look into it deeper. There are no lyrics that are more meaningful, nothing more heartfelt, then the early tracks. The later tracks on the album show the band's more professional side, but it still contains the abstraction. There is no reason for you not to own this album, it's like if Bob Dylan came up to you with his first year of work. Would you ever deny a thing like that.
Overall I'd say this album is a must have and can appeal to anyone. I give it an:
9.8
--Sam Ova
