imageThere are very few things I like (and no I don’t like you, in case you were wondering), and I can’t do reviews of accidents involving stupid rich people and electricity. Instead, I decided I’d be groundbreaking and submit one of the first music reviews to MvsR.

    I want to be clear about this. I actually like music. I don’t buy CDs to make fun of them. Thus, music reviews by Hazzard may seem a little less humorous than other reviews on the site. I could care less if you buy the Abslide, but I would like you to get your hands on some of this music. In these reviews, I would like to present some music that I enjoy. It won’t be a dredging up of obscure Indy Rock, but it won’t be a Top 40 hit list, either. It’s just a bunch of stuff that I like in random order.

    With that said, I want to talk about Camper Van Beethoven’s “Key Lime Pie”.

    Camper Van Beethoven is a band that contains David Lowery from Cracker. Some people listing to Modern Rock radio of the early 90s might remember Cracker from their semi-hit single “Low” containing the ingenious metaphor, “being with you girl’s like being low, hey, hey, hey, like being stoned.” Apparently, the “hey, hey, hey” is intended to call extra attention to sheer magnitude of implications jammed into that line of poetry. Fat Albert says “hey, hey, hey,” too, and he’s got to be the brains behind his crew. He’s the only one who has sense enough not to wear one of those stupid hats. If this doesn’t prove to you that David Lowery is a genius, then I don’t know what will.

image    Lyrically, Camper Van Beethoven is pretty interesting, and a lot of the time, fun. If you’re tired of songs with wall pounding back beats and lyrics about bagging sluts, then you might be ready for the refreshing music on this CD. The songs combine soft guitar ala CSN (Crosby Still & Nash) with an odd fiddling that dabbles in Arabian sounds and Southern folk rock. The laid-back sarcasm present in harsh, but mellow vocals turns the songs into anthems of disaffected growth and chaos. Basically, it takes your standard happy springtime album, robs its best sounds, and then leaves it with a wedgie just for good measure.

    “When I win the Lottery” is an amusing song about a rowdy, redneck who hopes to win a million dollars so he can spit in the eye of the rich, self-righteous war Veteran down the road. This is one of my favorite songs on the album, because it combines the sound of an old western movie standoff with weird fiddling and the gutsy, gruff rant of a loveable ragamuffin in rhyme. Songs like “Flowers” and “June” paint lush vibrant pictures in song, but add a bittersweet tinge of rudeness, discontent, and quiet anger. The music and words sound honest and uplifting carrying the mundane with them. Ever hear a love song with a line about “mash potatoes and pepper steak with corn”? Ever hear a folk song referencing Ronald Reagan?

Get this album if you’re at all interested. Chances are you’ll at least say, “What the hell?” five or six times while listening. If you’re looking for soft, music with crazy twists, you’ll probably like this. Fans of Cracker and Counting Crows will probably enjoy this album more than fans of Arena rock and heavy metal. Still, I don’t think anyone could listen to this album without finding something interesting. Be warned: some songs are so far from standard radio rock that they sound like chunky jams with all the wrong instruments together. A little patience goes a long way when listening to this album. “Key Lime Pie” is also good with booze. Take your time and enjoy the consumption, no fork required.
-Hazzard

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