Sarandon
Kill Twee Pop!
Slumberland
Having just ridden out the cacophonous wave of Them, Roaring Twenties’ Future Sandwich, I’m not sure I’m ready to take up Sarandon’s equally noisy directive to Kill Twee Pop!. Granted, I – and probably everyone aside from the most devout Morrissey acolyte – have some issues with the feyest mope/whine of that genre, but I’m not so keen on this look-at-me ironic quirkiness either. Sarandon’s very angular, very thunderous M.O. arrives at the beginning of the title track and the relentless noogie doesn’t let up until “Massive Haircut” hits its final notes. It’s a sped-up approximation of mid-‘90s gonzo punk (a la Jesus Lizard) infused with some of the more catchy sensibilities of Brit-pop. While never straight-up bad, most of these songs just don’t stray that far from the middle of the road. Only the Joan of Arc-esque jazz fury of “Lippy” and the flogging bass line whipping “Very Flexible” into a frenzy leave that strong of an impression. For a better take on overly-caffeinated pop, check out The Faintest Ideas’ stellar What Goes Up Must Calm Down and leave Sarandon some time to work the kinks out.
Slumberland Records: http://www.slumberlandrecords.com
