These Mesa rockers definitely occupy the more eccentric fringe of the new-millennial art-rock spectrum on this awe-inspiring followup to “Your Parents Are Only Marginally Disappointed in Your Musical Taste.” “Introduction to Blasterpiece” opens the set with a demented funk-rock march that sounds like it was written to accompany Tim Burton down the rabbit hole, especially when the vocals kick in with a chant of “Welcome, you are here to witness our demise.” “Necromancin Dancin” filters the rhythms of ska through “A Night at the Opera” with traces of jazz, a quirky falsetto delivery and a twisted chorus hook of “I’m raising the dead / I’m loving the dead.” It’s all very odd, from the mash-up of hip-hop, opera and a riff that grooves like Aerosmith on “Funkle Phil” to the old-timey touches of “Gypsy,” which feels like someone fed the theme-park band a little too much acid. From what Mitchell Hillman wrote in Java magazine, their live shows have featured songs by Queen and Disney soundtrack music, which makes perfect sense considering how often “Blasterpiece” suggests some kind of loopy missing link between the two.
Categories