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Here's the whole truth and nothing butt. This is
a strange record. Actually "weird" is more like it.
Yes, weird, strange - revolutionary?
Hmm. . . But, then again, we've come to expect nothing less
from the Surfers now haven't we? Now, for Jane's Addiction,
Filter, The Chemical Brothers and even Kid Rock, who
non-coincidentally shares the writing credits for the surprisingly
catchy "The Shame of Life" (Which if I didn't already
know it I wouldn't have believed it!) that's doing the radio
rounds at the moment, this is perfectly normal. In fact, the
quirkiness placed before us on this record, the shifting styles
from a bit o' Funk, Hip Hop and Trance are unusual to begin
with. By song three, speaking of unusual, maybe more like
ridiculous. Is this a take on Hansen's first hit by some sort of
sick perverted influence?
"Dracula From Houston," yeah bud, you definitely
got lost somewhere about five time zones from home. If you hurry
you can make it back by sundown and maybe we'll forget we ever
ran into ya. This is the worst song they ever did.
Ever the experimentalists, The Buttholes never hang onto a
typical style for so long that it becomes synonymous with what
they are! Their earlier records were more of a crossbred type of
Punk Rock with folk-like acoustic influences. Of course with a
character like Gibby out front, anything that comes out of the
mic is bound to shatter precept.
Apparent label conflicts delayed this record some four years
as the follow up to their "Electric Larryland"
breakthrough. For anyone who remembers long enough, a fair
number of these tunes follow in the footsteps of
"Pepper," their hit single from that record. Their
continued embracing of electronic elements, sampling, and a
wealth of dance-friendly pick up beats and casual club calls,
along with plenty of background noise and Gibby's garbled drawl,
insure the old faithful they haven't lost their minds
altogether. Then again, some will argue that happened two or
three years after they started during the "Rembrandt
Pussyhorse" days.
But we won't get into that. Musically, this is reasonably
well put, stylish, sometimes stupid and at one with the
hip-shaking enthusiasts phat beats for a funky butt. Or
something like that. Different and tuneful in their occasional
seriousness are "Intelligent Guy," "Jet Fighter"
and "Yentel" - although they must've still been up in
the clouds when they were doing this one.
"Weird" is the perfect description here. While
pledging their allegiance to the God of modernity, these twenty
year vets still know how to rouse the listening rube in their
own seed-to-weed, vacuum-packed state of unpredictability.
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| Artist |
Butthole Surfers |
| Title |
Weird
Revolution |
| Label |
Hollywood
Records |
| Reviewer |
Vinnie Apicella |
| Rating |
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| web site |
www.buttholesurfers.com |
| win stuff |
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