You Can't Stop the Bum Rush

You Can't Stop the Bum Rush
Studio album by
Len
ReleasedMay 25, 1999 (1999-05-25)
Recorded1998–1999
StudioFour Ways Studios, Metalworks Studios, & Adinsound
Genre
Length44:07
Label
Producer
Len chronology
Get Your Legs Broke
(1997) 		You Can't Stop the Bum Rush
(1999) 		The Diary of the Madmen
(2005)
Singles from You Can't Stop the Bum Rush
  1. "Steal My Sunshine"
    Released: June 22, 1999[1]
  2. "Feelin' Alright"
    Released: October 19, 1999[2]
  3. "Cryptik Souls Crew"
    Released: 2000

You Can't Stop the Bum Rush is the third studio album by Canadian alternative rock band Len, released on May 25, 1999, through Work and Sony Records. An alternative rock, pop, and rap rock album, it features the top-ten hit "Steal My Sunshine", which previously appeared on the soundtrack to the 1999 comedy thriller Go. It peaked at number 46 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified gold in the United States and Canada.

Three singles were released from You Can't Stop the Bum Rush: "Steal My Sunshine", "Feelin' Alright", and "Cryptik Souls Crew". It received a mostly positive response from critics. "The Hard Disk Approach" features lyrics entirely in German and uses a motorik beat to emulate the style of krautrock bands. The album cover features Buck 65, although he reportedly declined an offer to join the band; despite this, he provides record scratching on the track "Cold Chillin'".

Background and composition

Before the release of You Can't Stop the Bum Rush, Len consisted solely of siblings Marc and Sharon Costanzo, who predominantly made alternative rock music. The duo independently released two studio albums, Superstar (1995) and Get Your Legs Broke (1997), on their own record label, Funtrip Records.[3] Following these releases, the duo became tired of producing rock music and considered disbanding.[4] Marc explained: "I was writing, then I thought, 'This is bullshit; I can't write this shit.' I hated playing guitar."[4] The duo, however, became inspired again after experimenting with hip-hop, opting to move in this direction after receiving positive reception from music industry officials.[4] This reception resulted in Len signing with a major record label, the Work Group, and branching out from being a duo with the addition of group members Derek "D Rock" MacKenzie, Brian "DJ Moves" Higgins, Philip "Planet Pea" Rae, and Drunkness Monster.[3]

The standard edition of You Can't Stop the Bum Rush includes 12 tracks; the Japanese edition includes one additional track. Len intended to create a sonically diverse album, with Marc Costanzo commenting: "We didn't want people to be mad at us when they bought the album and expected 13 'Sunshines.' There's something [on the album] for the ravers, the Adidas-wearing old-school hip-hop heads, and 14-year-old girls."[5] The album includes a variety of styles, including rap, rock, and pop.[3] It makes heavy use of samples, with band member D Rock commenting that "[we] don't take ourselves too seriously."[5] Guest appearances include Biz Markie, Kurtis Blow, and C.C. DeVille of Poison.[3]

Title and artwork

The title, You Can't Stop the Bum Rush, refers to the breaking down of barricades, with D Rock commenting that the idea behind it is that "[Len is] coming, you can't stop us."[6] However, the group maintains that the title was created as a joke, with D Rock further adding: "[Len is] the first Canadian band with no talent whatsoever to actually make it to Letterman."[6]

Len was responsible for the album's art direction, while Drazen helmed the cartoon artwork.[7] The cover features cartoon versions of the Len group members, in addition to alternative hip-hop musician Buck 65, lined up on a city sidewalk.[8] The idea for the cover stemmed from a conversation between Marc and Sharon, in which Marc discussed "how funny it would be if we [became] cartoon characters."[9] Outside of the cover, Drazen drew a city—referred to by Marc as "Len land"—containing other eccentric characters, which is placed throughout the CD booklet.[9] The cover was originally a photograph that Marc took of himself and Sharon, although it was scrapped as Marc believed it would fail to grab consumer attention.[9] The Work Group was strongly against the decision to release the album using Drazen's cartoon artwork.[9]

Release and promotion

To promote You Can't Stop the Bum Rush, Len headlined the Canadian Edgefest tour in 1999, replacing Eve 6 after they dropped out due to illness.[10] The tour lasted two weeks, from July 1 to 14.[10] In the United States, Len embarked on a tour consisting of 22 shows in the fall of 1999.[11] The tour commenced on October 7 in Chicago, Illinois, and concluded on November 6 in Dallas, Texas, with most appearances at clubs and music festivals.[11] The tour was initially scheduled to begin on July 27 in Washington, D.C., although the Len group members had difficulty securing the proper visa paperwork in time for the date.[3][12] To further promote the album, Len made a variety of radio and television appearances, including an August 6 appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman.[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar[13]
The New York Times(positive)[14]
QStarStarStar[15]
Robert Christgau(1-star Honorable Mention)[16]
Rolling StoneStarStarStar[17]

You Can't Stop the Bum Rush received a mostly positive response from music critics, who praised the genre-hopping in the tracks and the light-hearted delivery used throughout. John Bush of AllMusic found the rapping offbeat and the album a lesser version of the Beastie Boys' Hello Nasty, but said that the production was "excellent" and the tracks "enjoyable", concluding that "the album's few derivative qualities never really get in the way of an enjoyable listen."[13] Tony Scherman of The New York Times credited the album for offering more than just "Steal My Sunshine" by dabbling in different genres, highlighting the four hip-hop songs for their sunny demeanor, concluding that: "Any unheralded group that cuts an album with at least a half-dozen memorable songs, and two addictive ones, deserves special attention."[14] Robert Christgau cited "Beautiful Day" and "Cheekybugger" as highlights of the album.[16] Karen Schoemer of Rolling Stone praised Marc Costanzo for his versatile production and for offering an alternative to Fred Durst by being goofy and less serious, concluding that: "Twelve years ago, these guys might have been Camper Van Beethoven, taking the piss out of college rock. Today, another genre needs them more."[17]

Track listing

You Can't Stop the Bum Rush – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Steal My Sunshine"
Mumble C4:25
2."Cryptik Souls Crew"
  • M. Costanzo
  • Philip Rae
  • Tony Camillo
Mumble C4:24
3."Man of the Year"
  • M. Costanzo
  • Brian Higgins
  • Derek Mackenzie
Mumble C5:07
4."Beautiful Day"
  • Fisher
  • Big King
2:46
5."The Hard Disk Approach"
Mumble C3:04
6."Hot Rod Monster Jam"
Mumble C4:07
7."Cold Chillin'"
Mumble C3:26
8."Feelin' Alright"
  • M. Costanzo
  • Mackenzie
  • Sharon Costanzo
  • Michael Bruce
  • Spencer Lynn Kirkpatrick
Mumble C3:59
9."Cheekybugger"M. CostanzoMumble C1:44
10."Big Meanie"
Mumble C4:07
11."Junebug"M. CostanzoMumble C4:00
12."Crazy 'Cause I Believe (Early Morning Sunshine)"
  • M. Costanzo
  • David Wilson
  • Fred Werner
Mumble C3:00
Total length:44:09
You Can't Stop the Bum Rush – Japanese edition (bonus track)
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducersLength
13."Drunc'n Moves"
  • M. Costanzo
  • Mark Mackay
  • Higgins
Mumble C2:55
Total length:47:04
Notes

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[7]

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[21] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[22] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1304. June 18, 1999. p. 42.
  2. ^ "Alternative: Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1321. October 15, 1999. p. 204.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Hay, Carla (July 31, 1999). "Work's Len 'Bum Rushes' charts". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 31. p. 9.
  4. ^ a b c "Len". Pollstar. November 8, 1999. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Bell, Carrie (November 13, 1999). "The Modern Age". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 46. p. 97.
  6. ^ a b Costanzo, Marc; Len (1999). "An Interview with Len". MuchMusic (Interview). Interviewed by Rick Campanelli. Toronto: CHUM Limited.
  7. ^ a b Anon. (1999). You Can't Stop the Bum Rush (CD liner notes). Len. Work Group.
  8. ^ Weiss, Dan (July 23, 2019). "A Million Miles of Fun: Listening To Len's "Steal My Sunshine" 20 Years L-A-T-E-R". Grammy Awards. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d "Marc Costanzo (Len) – Sound In The Signals Interview". Sound in the Signals. May 16, 2014. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Len Replacing Eve 6 on Canadian Edgefest". MTV News. June 17, 1999. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Len Announce First Tour of the U.S." MTV News. September 8, 1999. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  12. ^ "Len Postpones U.S. Club Tour; Festival Dates Still On". MTV News. July 22, 1999. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Bush, John. "You Can't Stop the Bum Rush – Len | Album". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  14. ^ a b Scherman, Tony (August 8, 1999). "RECORDINGS; High-Quality Bubble Gum". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  15. ^ "LEN – You Can't Stop The Bum Rush CD Album". CD Universe. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  16. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "CG: Len". Archived from the original on July 5, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  17. ^ a b Schoemer, Karen (September 2, 1999). "Recordings: Len, You Can't Stop the Bum Rush, 3 Stars". Rolling Stone. p. 110. Archived from the original on November 12, 2003. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  18. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Image 5896". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  19. ^ "Len Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  20. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  21. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Len – You Can't Stop the Bum Rush". Music Canada. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  22. ^ "American album certifications – Len – You Can't Stop the Bum Rush". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
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