Recently a band sent me their latest EP for review. The package consisted of one CDR that had the band and album name spelled incorrectly (sadly, I'm not making that up). There was nothing else in the package—no tracklisting, no band info, no website info, absolutely nothing but a twenty-five cent CDR. This was sent to me by a band member, one who couldn't even spell his band or album name correctly. I'm still annoyed at this, thinking back to the time when I was sending out albums from my own bands and how much time I'd put into it. Luckily, not every band is of the same uncaring mind when it comes to their presentation, what represents them as artists, as a whole. Circus Of Dead Squirrels takes the old school approach, understanding that the music is not all that matters, there is a visual aspect that also speaks to people.
The Pop Culture Massacre And The End Of The World Sing-A-Long Songbook!, Circus Of Dead Squirrels's third album, is lavishly presented as a children's book featuring full-colored, detailed artwork (cartoons, to be exact) correlating with songs on the album: a squirrel slitting the throat of the McDonald's owner (I presume) and making Ronald and friends eat worm-filled burgers ("The Happy Meal-Worm"); a ghoulish-looking squirrel with a chainsaw chasing down current presidential failure George W. Bush, depicted as Pinocchio ("President Pinocchio"); A squirrel performing a "fatality" a la Mortal Kombat ("Prizefighter"); a squirrel operating a guillotine, about to behead beloved Elmo while his Sesame Street pals happily watch on ("Elmo's Last Laugh"); and a squirrel raising a pitchfork over its head in a fiery, hellish cavern, looking to be commanding knife- and tuna-can top-wielding killers in the manner of the Pillsbury Doughboy, Tony the Tiger, Charlie the Tuna, Mr. Peanut, and the Hamburger Helper Helping Hand ("Hell's Kitchen"). And that's not all. Circus Of Dead Squirrels put in a lot of time and effort creating The Pop Culture Massacre, and they did the same on their previous two releases, Indoor Recess and Outdoor Recess.
Of course, as they say, you can't polish a turd. So what of the music? Well, Circus Of Dead Squirrels's talent doesn't end with creating a nice visual package, the music is pretty damn good—for what it is. The Pop Culture Massacre is a mash up of GWAR meets Misery Loves Co. meets Slipknot meets the lyrical prowess of Tesco Vee and (one of the greatest bands ever) The Meatmen—with less homo-erotic comedy (though Ninja Turtle Liberace does play guitar and keyboards, so I could be wrong).
The first true song on the album is "Overpopulation Annihilation," a brutal, pounding industrial metal anthem that's sure to get the blood flowing, through the body or knuckles. "The Happy Meal-Worm" follows a similar path, but more upbeat, layered with a twisted, circus-like foundation. "Losing Touch" sounds like a Slipknot song played through the haunted speakers of a techno dance club. The rest of the album flows in a pretty similar style, not throwing out many curveballs until the track "Nobody Quite Like Me," a mid-paced, eerie, atmospheric gem of a song. This song finds the band in more serious and mature territory, musically and lyrically. I'm tempted to say the song doesn't fit on the album, because it does seem to sort of skewer the satirical flow of the rest of the songs, but it's simply too good a song to ignore.
The Pop Culture Massacre isn't without its flaws. As is the case with many industrial-like bands, sometimes a little noise overindulgence interrupts the flow of a song; it's easy to include too much, making for a somewhat distracting listen. This doesn't apply to any one song completely, only parts now and then. The production is outstanding, and the mix is killer. While I think some songs have a little too much going on from time to time, nothing ever gets lost in the mix. The music is generally captivating in its driving rhythms and grooves, and the lyrics, while satirical, aren't necessarily stupid or cringe-worthy. And again, the artwork and layout is topnotch, an outstanding visual companion to a great album.
The Pop Culture Massacre begins with a disclaimer track, a warning to those would-be naysayers with no sense of humor, which, to quote the final moment of the track, essentially states: Thoroughly fuck off, or enjoy the show.
The latter is what I did.
Video: Elmo's Last Laugh, Nobody Quite Like Me (Fan-made)
Website: http://www.circusofdeadsquirrels.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/circusofdeadsquirrels
Note: Many of these links are external. In time, they may become obsolete.
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