Pepe Deluxé
Comix Sonix
Catskills Records
Someone dropped this wonderfully bizarre musical project in my mailbox, and when the ticking stopped, I opened it to find an amazingly fun album. This Finnish band recalls (but does not copy) the famous art rockers The Residents.
The music is familiar on some level, but always odd and surprising. Titles are oddly named: we hear “From the Mouth of Elmer McCurdy,” “Baptized by Nitro,” “Emotionally Available Diabolical Parenthood,” and “Earth Boys are Easy.” Vocals are zippy and clear, as are individual instruments, not all of which I can identify. I can hear each word clearly and distinctly. Each tune tells a story quickly and musically. Voices get stretched and processed to the point you hear and understand them and wonder how they got that sound.
Most tracks are short — nothing runs over 7 minutes, and most are less than a minute. It’s hot, hot jazz dance electronica. You can throw adjectives at this band all night long and never repeat a note. This music is not just an album, it’s the bastard son of Spike Jones (Spike Jones and His City Slickers) and The Residents. Yes, it’s musical, with drum, keys, and structure, but it’s also an opera of highly-trained voices singing the impossible, and I’ll bet if Pepe Deluxé was live, they would put Gwar to shame.
