"MUTATED MUSIC FOR FRESH JUICING"
The geniuses behind The Bran Flakes have done it again...well...they did it before, i should say, as this is a reissue of their first release using computers, turntables, boom boxes, cassette decks and even an answering machine. I don't listen to, well,...any electronica, and I listen to very little music with electronics so I think that makes me the perfect candidate to review this CD. Believe it or not there are 39 tracks on this one and it all runs together like one continuous track. You could easily listen to this entire thing in one sitting on a set of headphones, or you could dance the night away to it in a dark club. And there is so much going on here at all times that you could never possibly get bored. I don't know if this is totally accurate, but I would have to say that The Bran Flakes are little bit Residents and a little bit Chemical Brothers and a little bit Mr. Bungle. This is music that you must exerience for yourself. There are some of the best samples on this CD that I have ever heard and they just keep on coming. You may even recognize some. So go get this imediately. This might be one of the best CDs you've never heard. 
I am going to go ahead and recommend this. These are dumb songs with dumb lyrics and even dumber titles, yet it's all still fun punk rock with a little new wave influence. There seems to be a bit of influence from Ramones and The Exploited here. Of course they aren't nearly as good as either, but they are good and they're trying. The cover art on the cd is cool too. Robot+naked girl+skateboard=good. Standout songs here are "die die die" "saturday night" and "tired and lonely". Get this one and pogo to your hearts content.
I can't believe how much I love this album! Seriously, this is a serious contender fo No-Fi "Magazine"'s album of the year. I find myself thinking about this album...when I'm not even listening to this album. That's crazy and it's something I don't do unless it's a really really good album. This is the second album by Young People and for whatever reason (because it certainly doesn't sound like it) this album reminds me of The Smiths' first album. Maybe it's the overall tone of the CD? It's haunting, but very sharp and rarely does one of its songs stay the same very long. Just when you think a chorus might repeat or a verse might go to long, songs'll quickly shift gears or stop all together. Starting from the feedback bitter-sweetness of "El Paso" to "Ne'er Do Well" (which reminds me of The Breeders a little bit and that's always a good thing) all the way through to the unexpectedly swingy "The Night Of The Hunter" every song on the CD is different and wonderful. Other favorites on this CD of mine are "Ask The Dust", "Early Poetry" (which would have been a great addition to the film "Lost In Translation") and my favorite "The Lord" which ends in such a abrupt and spectacular way that you just have to hear it to know what I'm talking about. And you should do just that... It's a little short at under a half hour long, but it uses its time wisely with 11 short and sweet songs. (I really hate it when a good songs runs longer than it should. I think thats one of the reasons The Beatles were so great.) The album cover reminds me of old gospel records of the 70s. If they can get away with that, you know they gotta have something good inside. Get this CD for all your friends and ditch the ones who don't like it because there has gotta be something wrong with them if they don't.
I would like to officially declare that the next big musical explosion is going to happen in the South Bay of Southern California. Not since Black Flag have bands this good been coming out of the area. And you can hear all of the best ones on a new compilation from Otik Records called The South Bay Compilation. This CD is 26 tracks of goodness. Some of the standouts are the fast and loud Rock Goggle Fantasy, the brit pop sound of the Pacific, the complete mental retardation of Bride of Ashcroft...and I mean that in a good way. Their song "You were the Fliest Girl on the Block Until Your Face Went Through the Windshield" is one of my favorite songs of the year. The now unfortunately disbanded From. is on here, as is the Masque Opera. You can hear a song by those crazy kids from the Banana Explosive. Two of my favorite bands have songs on the comp, the first one being Eartha Kitt U.K. and the other being the Rolling Blackouts. If you haven't heard of either of these bands yet, you will. I promise. There's also a band on here that dons one of the best band names I've heard in awhile and that's London's New Crime Wave. This comp has music for everyone. Musically it is all over the map. So, go ahead and check it out. I'm sure you'll like something on it. But, you will more than Likely enjoy all of it. 
This is just straight up, no-fooling, genuinely darn good music. There are definite 1960's melody and harmony influences, and for that I personally could not be happier. They remind me ever so slightly of Badly Drawn Boy, The Green And Yellow TV, Dios, and The Kinks, and dare I use the "B" word? Nah, never mind- almost every band from the 1960's and on is influenced by the "B" word in some way or another, if you ask me. And so, as if that were not enough, they even toss in occasional Ska, Classic Rock, and Blue Grass influences. I love the slide guitar work as well as the special touches via the organ and Wurlitzer. But it is seriously all good. They sound polished, seasoned, crisp, sharp (sorry, sounds like I'm describing an apple, huh?) and it's all just very refreshing. AND they wear suits (that's just plain sexy and a very smart image to project indeed.) Based on right-off-the-bat first impressions, stand out songs for me were "Afterlife", "I'm A Man", and "All The Same", but I honestly quickly grew to love each and every one of the 13 songs for individual reasons. I kept thinking, "Oh, I should add this one and that one as one of my favorites too", but the list just grew longer and longer until I was naming nearly ever song, so I decided to just stick with my very first impressions.Send Tapes, CDs, or Demos to:
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