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Album Review: Iwrestledabearonce ‘Ruining It For Everybody’

Published

15 years ago

on

Iwrestledabearonce are not famous for playing by the rules. Nor are they particularly known for their sweetness, calming music, or commonplace sense of humor. And that’s exactly what’s so great about ’em. And with their second studio album, Ruining It For Everybody, IWABO certainly don’t disappoint anyone who still holds them to those deliciously devilish and high standards – but they’re not about to let you get away without a few surprises, either. 
iwaborifecover

Opening track “Next Visible Delicious” is a whirlwind of sound straight from the beginning. Starting off with a bubbly electronic section, it soon turns into a series of raspy, blood-curdling, staccato screams curtesy of ever-girl-crush-worthy front woman Krysta Cameron. But, not a moment too soon, those yelps lend themselves to a more eerie quality as Cameron’s vocals turn sing-song and childlike. But that’s not all. The second half of the song is here, and FAST. I’m talking out of the gate like a power-up in Mario Kart. Wailing guitars compliment a sweeping piano part that seems to trip like icy water down the chord progression, and drummer Mike Montgomery shows off his skill with a double bass part that will have your shins aching just listening to it. “You Know That Ain’t Them Dogs’ Real Voices” continues along that same riotous vein with Cameron’s strongly sung melody punctuated by pinprick vocals and madcap guitar licks that occupy the very upper half of the register. A ghoulish interlude that sounds like a handicapped version of The Cramps, complete with a broken-down upright bass line and the “uh-huhs” that pyschobilly so lovingly claims, is also a delight, along with the sound of waves and cawing gulls that accompanies it. Ending the song with a sigh (literally), it’s almost as if one song bumps into another, and without an apology, as “Deodorant Can’t Fix Ugly” starts up. A full gospel chorus is the pride and joy of that song, as the unexpected nature of the album becomes fully apparent. 
In fact, it’s pretty much impossible to predict what will happen next on Ruining It For Everybody. The beginning style of “This Head Music Makes My Eyes Rain” is strangely reminiscent of bands such as The Notwist, and the technical prowess of Steven Bradley (guitars, keyboards, samples, programming) cannot be denied as his avant-garde electronic composition unfolds track by track. Peppered with angelic vocals and whispers, this song is completely sans screams. And I can dig it!
Not one to disappoint, Cameron’s vocal range is again revealed to be astonishing, as she proves with her exotic sounding part in “Gold Jacket, Green Jacket“. Complimented with triangle, electronic sounds and even gang vocals, IWABO manages to make a somehow elegant cacophony of this track; and it will definitely inspire some quality dancing when it’s played live. 
The one thing about listening to Iwrestledabearonce is you have to learn to sort of “listen in the moment”, so to speak. The music is so spastic that you might just miss how cool it sounds. But IWABO are without a doubt born from a certain breed of musician whose talent and style cannot be taught. Ruining It For Everybody manages to be discordant while at the same time artful, composed while in a sense animalistic, and Cameron’s voice often seems to take on a mind of its own, making it seem as if it is only pure accident that the music should follow her lead. Like I said the first time I saw them live in New York, “Some people play heavy music, but Iwrestledabaronce has the devil in them.” And by devil, I mean the passion for playing. 
The Final Word: This passion is what guides the album through its ass-backwards, space odyssey style journey. Sexy guitar, staccato structure, awe-inspiring drum work and scrambled electronic sections that make you stop and say, “What even was that?” are all a part of this album, one which seems decidedly more serious and much less cheeky than IWABO’s last, It’s All Happening. Even still, it was easy to enjoy myself listening to it, and I found myself writing such notes as “LET THIS MUSIC RAIN DOWN UPON YOU, THERE IS NO ESCAPE!” and “this outro is amazing omg kill yourself before it ends”. So yes, although this album is somewhat more “grown-up” its crazed energy is infectious, and listeners will have only just begun to familiarize themselves with its creepy samples, out-of-the-blue style changes, and all around wackiness before IWABO will be back with a new record and even more tricks up their sleeves. 
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Music

Marco Beltrami’s ‘Scream’ Score Gets Deluxe Reissue For 30th Anniversary

Published

3 days ago

on

July 9, 2026

By

Seminal slasher Scream rewrote the rules in 1996, and for its 30th anniversary,  Varèse Sarabande and Craft Recordings are celebrating with a new anniversary reissue of Marco Beltrami’s landmark score.

The original 14-track album returns to vinyl in a collectible “blood-soaked” sleeve on August 28.

If blood red isn’t your color, there’s good news: the reissue will also be available in many different limited-edition exclusive pressings.

In addition to the wide “Woodsboro Bloodbath” red vinyl pictured below, look for the following exclusives:

An Extended Cut Edition of the Scream (Original Motion Picture Score), featuring all 40 of the film’s cues from the 2022 Scream boxset, will also be available on CD. All formats are available to pre-order or pre-save today.

Top L-R: “Knife’s Edge” silver vinyl with poster (Target), “Surprise, Sidney” metallic blend vinyl (Barnes & Noble), “Don’t Hang Up” clear vinyl (Books-A-Million),
Bottom L-R: “I’ll Be Right Back” blue vinyl (Urban Outfitters), “Final Girl” splatter vinyl (Hot Topic), “Wrong Answer” Blood Red Splatter vinyl (Varèse Sarabande/Craft Recordings), and “Final Phone Call” blue vinyl (Indie Retail)

Marco Beltrami composed the iconic score as a then young, up-and-coming composer—one who, ironically, had never scored or even seen a horror film.

Yet just three years after he completed the University of Southern California’s rigorous scoring program, Beltrami submitted 13 minutes of music for Scream’s opening sequence and his future was forever changed. “We knew in half a minute that we had found our composer,” Craven told Variety in 2012. “The music was haunting, beautiful and totally original. Marco turned out to be shy and soft-spoken, but a fountain of ideas and innovation. I never looked back.”

Scream (Original Motion Picture Score) (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

CD Tracklist

1. Dimension Logo (0:19)

2. The Cue from Hell (10:33)

3. Trouble in Woodsboro (1:52)

4. Sid’s House (1:12)

5. Red Herring (2:13)

6. Killer Calls Sydney (2:52)

7. Chasing Sidney (1:29)

8. Cell Phone (1:00)

9. Backdoor Gale (0:49)

10. Schoolyard 2 (1:17)

11. Sid’s Doubt (1:23)

12. Bathroom (2:58)

13. Mr. Himbry Gets It (2:11)

14. Sherriff and Dewey (1:21)

15. Tatum’s Torture (2:46)

16. Sidney Wants It (3:09)

17. Dewey and Gale (1:57)

18. Off to See Himbry (0:41)

19. Killer Stabs Billy (2:50)

20. Randy Almost Gets It (2:33)

21. Gale Crashes the Van (1:33)

22. They’re Crazy (9:42)

23. Sid Stabs Billy (4:24)

24. Billy’s Back (0:52)

25. End Credits (1:40)

26. Sid’s Window (0:26)

27. Gut Someone (0:13)

28. Sid Looks (0:16)

29. Billy Looks (0:24)

30. Billy to Cell (0:34)

31. Killer Calls Again (0:35)

32. Bang Into Billy (0:12)

33. Girl Talk (0:54)

34. Video Store (0:45)

35. Why She’s Here (0:16)

36. Billy Sting (0:13)

37. Prescott’s Car (0:29)

38. Hairbrush (0:38)

39. The Cue from Hell (Orchestra Only) (6:28)

40. I Don’t Care (Vocals Performed by Dillon Dixon) (3:01)

Scream – Original Motion Picture Score

Vinyl Tracklist

Side A:

1. Dimension Logo (0:19)

2. The Cue from Hell (10:33)

3. Trouble in Woodsboro (1:52)

4. Red Herring (2:13)

5. Chasing Sidney (1:29)

6. Backdoor Gale (0:49)

7. Schoolyard 2 (1:17)

8. Bathroom (2:58)

Side B:

1. Sherriff and Dewey (1:21)

2. Tatum’s Torture (2:46)

3. Sidney Wants It (3:09)

4. Killer Stabs Billy (2:50)

5. They’re Crazy (9:42)

6. End Credits (1:40)

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