Ashtray Babyhead
Radio
Glue Factory
Allow me to publicly thank Ink 19’s resident “data wrangler,” Andrew Chadwick, for turning me on to this CD. He listened to it first, thought I’d enjoy it, and left it on my desk. Well, Andrew had me pegged, because Ashtray Babyhead have been on heavy rotation on my CD player all month, and don’t show any signs of leaving it soon. For example, at odd moments, I’ll catch myself singing “Cosmonaut, cosmonaut/I wanna be an astronaut,” the hook form the lead track, “Mir,” and will have to put the record on again for another dose. ATBH’s infectiously catchy hooks demand repeated listens – like Weezer (who they actually sound quite a bit like), they have mastered the art of coming up with hooks that only take one listen to get their claws into you – instantly memorable and more addictive than crack. My personal favorites include “Bomb” (as in “She’s a…”), “Banana Seat,” and “Ninety-Nine” (with its deliciously ironic “sellout, sellout” chorus), but there are 11 tracks of sterling power pop gems here just waiting to be discovered and adored. If only stuff like this actually did get played on the Radio, I’d be a happy man, indeed.
Glue Factory Records, PO Box-ATBH, Redondo Beach, CA 90227, http://www.gluefactory.com, http://www.ashtraybabyhead.net.
