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Back To The Mono
Kero
Ex-Girl
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"Waving Scientist @ Frog King" is without a doubt one of the strangest songs I've ever heard in my life… It's sorta like… wow, I don't know if I can even come up with words to describe it… like a female trio Tiny Tim character incarnate and this goofy hymnal, and squeaky voiced Cyndi Lauper like irritation and game show sing along at every angle… I won't say it's good exactly but an interesting way to begin. Ex-Girl is three Japanese girls making fluffy, flighty, otherworldly sounds hinged greatly on synthesis and protoplasmic radiation that echoes through a warped mind, previously unfettered and now completely lost. In a past life they would've been up there with the Buggles and B-52's like tactics… the thing is they sing in unison and they sing in key… I guess, and actually the backing music's pretty good on its own-they're a full service annoyance behind those damned mics but they do a decent if awkward job on the instrumental aspects-endearingly sloppy. I can recall from the good 'ol seventies high lights and low bottoms and go in the direction of Dave Byrne and his heads and of course there's Devo… so throw in some girl school choir-like singing in need of tons and tons of practice and… I mean alright they're not out to be the next Tori Amos or take themselves altogether seriously but they got some intriguing effectual stuff going on here-try to envision a 1970's sci-fi television series budget and they came to earth from a distant galaxy… and they look and sound about as good as you might expect the alien welcoming committee on just about any foreign planet old James Kirk were to beam down to… and a-ha, why am I not surprised they're doing that old "Pop Muzik" hit from back in '79 I think, which no one to this day could ever admit listening to out of enjoyment… They're a trip these gals… how far exactly is yet to be determined but they're definitely out there. Personally I think they're nuts and if such a thing as s true "alternative" still exists, I'd like to see anyone top this, the latest addition to the Mike Patton-led Ipecac Recordings, and just cause for the square peg in the round hole element. Simplistic descriptions don't come easy but there's some Pop, I suppose, Punk… eh, slightly, New Wave, yep… throw The Tubes and/or Rundgren into the mix, they gotta fall in their somewhere-and great Gretschky, see if ya don't feel like shakin' those hips a little during "Solid States Kerok N' Roll…" "Back To The Mono Kero" is cutting edge in an oddly amateurish way and reveals a child-like innocence and cartoonish character in the greatest detail… Released by Ipecac Records Review by Vinnie Apicella
[va85@columbia.edu] |