Slightly Stoopid, ‘Top of the World’ – Song Review

You gotta hand it to Slightly Stoopid. They obviously realized that not everybody is going to be into their slightly humorous mix of reggae, punk and ska fare, so they built a warning right into their name. Or, at least, that’s how we took it. Perhaps others see it as slightly juvenile and thus totally hilarious.

In fact, which side of that line you fall on probably will determine what you think of ‘Top of the World,’ the latest single off the San Diego-based outfit’s new album of the same name. It meshes samples, looped beats, record scratching and horns — live or sampled, it’s hard to tell — into the kind of frat-boy party jams made famous by Sublime back in the ’90s.

That band hit platinum after the tragic death of frontman Brad Nowell — and in fact, Nowell was the first one to sign Slightly Stoopid, with their debut album dropping on his imprint soon after his death. All these years later and Sublime have reunited with a fill-in singer under the name Sublime With Rome. We’re not sure if that gives Slightly Stoopid a new touring partner on the summer touring circuit, some serious competition, or just proves the cyclical nature of musical trends.

Listen to Slightly Stoopid, ‘Top of the World’

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.