''In Socks Mode'' is the debut album by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

band The Visible Men, released in

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

on Leisure King Productions.

Overview

The instrumentation of ''In Socks Mode'' could be considered minimalist: most of the songs consist solely of piano and bass guitar, with slightly more than half of the tracks featuring light drum accompaniment. Despite its low-key indie release, ''In Socks Mode'' was met with mostly positive reviews. In Music We Trust graded it with an "A", calling it "a shining example of pop music that is infectious and laden with hooks, but not overly accessible or simplified for your listening pleasures".

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

gave the album a rating of 3/5, praising the "wonderfully accomplished" piano techniques and the "sheer attractiveness" of his melodies, comparing it favorably to the

Ben Folds Five Ben Folds Five was an American alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprised Ben Folds (lead vocals, piano), Robert Sledge (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Darren Jessee (drums, backing vocals). Th ...

, but criticizing the album's often low-brow lyricism.Fink, Matt. 'In Socks Mode'

Track listing

All songs composed by

Dustin Lanker Dustin Ross Lanker (born October 7, 1976) is an American keyboardist, known for his work as a member of the ska- swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies and the ska punk band the Mad Caddies, as well as the singer-songwriter for the rock trio The ...

, except where otherwise noted. #"Dial Tone" – 3:44 #"Core of the Planet" – 4:12 #"Blow Shit Up" (Lanker,

Dan Schmid Daniel Joseph Schmid (born November 22, 1962) is an American musician, known for his work as the bassist and co-founder of the ska- swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies. Schmid was also part of the rock duo the Visible Men, and has worked with ...

) – 3:28 #"$90" – 3:20 #"Hall of Fame" – 3:09 #"Strange Hash" (Lanker, Schmid) – 4:35 #"Poker Face" – 2:33 #"Semen Factory" – 5:00 #"On the Sidelines" – 3:44 #"King Shit" – 4:04

Credits

The Visible Men

–

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

, keyboards *

–

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

*Jordan Glenn –

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

(tracks 6, 10)

Additional musicians

*Tony Figoli – drums (tracks 2, 4) *Tim Donahue – drums (tracks 1, 5, 8) *Ryan Sumner – drums (track 7)

Production

*Produced and mixed by Bill Barnett, J. Scott McLean and The Visible Men at Gung-Ho Studios in

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Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

*Engineered by Bill Barnett, Don Latarski and Glen Bonney *Mastered by Jim Rusby, Sony Disc Manufacturing - Springfield Oregon *Track 3 recorded by Don Latarski at Crescent Studios in Eugene, Oregon. *Track 5 recorded by Glenn Bonney at Glenn Bonney Recording in Eugene, Oregon.

References

{{Authority control The Visible Men albums 2002 debut albums