As someone who pays more attention to the lyrics than if a song is musically complex, I would say that lyrically, the artist Von Zimmer has a real talent.

Von Zimmer, a songwriter from South Dakota, just put out a new album and sent The Rip a copy in hopes of a review. The paper decided to oblige. There are 10 songs on Von Zimmer’s album “Freddie’s Extra Teeth,” referring to Freddie Mercury’s (from the rock band Queen) extra set of teeth. Supposedly, Mercury never had them removed because he feared that he would lose his ability to sing the high notes, which to Von Zimmer was a sign of great dedication to his music.

My personal favorites from the album were “The Road to Nod,” “Epic Fail Blues” and “A Groat Named Costard.”

Von Zimmer’s lyrics are creative, refreshing, and thankfully not overdone.

Some examples of his lyrics from “The Road to Nod” are:

“Not so different thinking claims to own the high road./

Failure is a symptom of a weak genetic code./

Sweat from 60 hours hides behind the label, deafening progress tethered by a cable.” And some lyrics from “A Groat Named Costard”: “Searching for one letter in the darkness left behind, monkeys tapping on keyboards, elevating humankind./

“To oppose the accepted quintessence with a spear to shake, last defense of ignorance, a burning at the stake.”

In other songs, he rhymes words such as “current” with “deterrent” and “bomb” with “prom,” another sign of his poetic and lyrical creativity.

Musically however, many of his songs have the same kind of tune and rhythm.

The music is far louder than his voice.I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing, especially since he credits himself more as a songwriter than a singer.

In my opinion, the repetition can eventually get kind of boring, and I don’t see it as creative.

On the plus side, most of his songs are pretty catchy and can get stuck in your head for hours.

Other songs include “Your Song,” a song written to his wife, identified by the brass ring he mentions on his finger, and the “yes” that she whispered in his ear. “Archimedes Beer” is about a guy going down to a bar at the end of a terrible day. And “Tragic Fall From Grace” is a bitter song where the singer compares himself to the fame of other musicians. “Spitting on a fan, or talking on a phone, you will be remembered; I was never known.”

Overall, on a scale of 1-5, in this album for lyrical quality I would give him a 4 or 5, for music quality I would give him a 3 due to the catchiness and his talent at playing the instruments used, but for musical creativity and vocals, I would give him a 2.

(Three Stars)