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Why Do You Touch Things That Aren't Yours? Review
by Ned Raggett
With a fair amount of the Shrimper Inland Empire
scene appearing somewhere on this entertaining record -- guests include
such stalwarts as Peter Hughes and co-producer Bob Durkee -- the merry
five-piece that is, or rather was, Big Breakfast comes up with an album
that defies many '90s indie stereotypes. The sound is crisp, not
restrained or fuzzy, the playing sharp, and the end result is a nicely
aggro treat that's as friendly as it is forceful, much more a product of
various '80s new wave/alt roots than the era of home tape recordings.
Lisa Kuta is a perfect frontwoman for the whole thing, with lyrics that
are guardedly emotional and sung that way -- warm but wary and all the
more striking for it, not afraid to let go a bit here and there. The
rhythm section of Steve Cronk and Chris Damore works especially well,
dictating the feel of the songs along with Kuta more than anything else.
Elsewhere, as Kuta sings at one point, "His solos are never crap/I have
a friend named Kevin Trapp." Indeed, besides his wry, not-quite-there
singing style, Trapp pulls off some great guitar work, steering well
away from post-grunge sludge in favor of far more intriguing gods like
the Go-Betweens and New Order as templates. When he does fire up the
feedback, he only does so for just enough impact. Add in Bill
Magdriagz's keyboards for extra dollops of sound (check his fun melody
on "Continuation High School Love Affair") and all is very well. Other
highlights: the soaring statement of intent that is "Googlephonics," the
merry "J. Curve," and the very in-joke-worthy "El Slobbo de Mosso."
There are also some state-of-the-art '90s pop-culture references very
intentionally played for laughs, thus the introductory lyrics of
"Primordial Maracas" as sung by Trapp: "Me llamo Cornholio/I need TP for
my bunghole."
Tracklist
| 1 | Blue Blocker | |
| 2 | Primordial Maracas | |
| 3 | Googlephonics | |
| 4 | Family Death Scrapbook | |
| 5 | El Slobbo De Mosso | |
| 6 | Blue Lake Swim Club | |
| 7 | Continuation High School Love Affair | |
| 8 | Bop Snob | |
| 9 | J-Curve | |
| 10 | Reignbough | |
| 11 | Jr. High School Love Affair | |
| 12 | Spanksgiving | |
| 13 | Whack Henry |
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