The Nerd Parade
A Delicate Bashing
Headphone Treats Records
The Nerd Parade is the brainchild of Nophi Recordings co-founder and multi-instrumentalist, Randy Garcia. Garcia and his quartet of indie pop-loving misfits recently released their debut album, A Delicate Bashing and fortunately for us, it doesn’t suck. This electro-infused genre-jumping CD combines jazzy R&B ballads with dance-y synth pop numbers and inventive pop culture references. The montage of musical styles makes it near impossible to classify The Nerd Parade, but Garcia’s programming skills and the decidedly lo-fi sound of the album would certainly suggest some art-rock proclivities and a soft spot for ’80s synth-pop. And there are certainly enough catchy hooks on this album to choke a horse.
The opening track, “A Picturesque Sunday,” begins with a Radiohead-like robotic monologue before bursting into the unexpectedly upbeat song, “Yr Horrible Stupid Life.” The robotic voice returns on “Crude Polygonal Space Fighters”, but there’s a good chance you’ll be too busy tripping out to the mellow trance-like music in the background to heed the lyrics. The soulful slow jam “A Bird’s Song” features vocalist Abby Wren, and why it isn’t a solid gold hit already, we may never know, but as soon as Wren starts cooing, it’s time to get the Kleenex. Some of the lyrics may seem childish: “and the earth may quit turning or some crap like that/ my heart is a waif but my feelings are fat”, but a thorough listen to the album would suggest that The Nerd Parade are actually subversive rascals masquerading as juvenile delinquents; a feat they pull off with exceptional ease.
The Nerd Parade: http://thenerdparade.com/
