Roughly five years ago when I shared
The Cripples What's in a Name ep I assumed the gentleman on the album sleeve (frontman
Shawn O'Brien) was festooned with a pair of crutches to help tie into his band's moniker. Turns out O'Brien had cerebral palsy, and the crutches weren't props after all. In fact, he relied on them during performances. That being said, his predicament is only loosely addressed in one song here, "I'm Your Cripple," and it along with the remainder of the record is a veritable exercise in uplift, not wallowing. As mentioned in my prior Cripples critique, these L.A. area denizens had a very party-up vibe going, a la Buster Poindexter, but they did make advances in terms of maturity on
Unfaithful Legends, driving some relatively poignant sentiments home on side two's "Real to Real," which flirts with some discernable ballad-esque tendencies.
Post-Cripples, O'Brien became an advocate for the disabled, voting rights, and naturally, where the two intersected. His endeavors included running for public office and authoring a book.
01. I'm Your Cripple
02. Our Time Will Come
03. Easy Access
04. Female Christ
05. One Night Stand
06. Unfaithful Legends
07. Die Young
08. Real to Real
09. Heart Like a Boxer
10. Little Affections
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