Lotion (a brief "review")

[jester]

Well, I was rustling about in my favorite indie record shop this afternoon,
and what do ya think I discovered... yep, Lotion's NOBODY'S COOL, with the
famous liner notes of our own TRP.  Well, I ended up getting it, and well...
it's rather good.  Anyone else on the list pick this up?

I've gotta admit, the vocals aren't much to speak of... but the lyrics are
entertaining, and the music far different from the neo-copy-cat grunge I
expected.  It's more a jazz influenced progressive mix of the grungier side
of rock -- lots of distortion and waves of melancholic slacker growling
across the vocals -- but supported with an extremely tight rhythm section
bordering on the eclectic punk with a tad of classical progression.  Had
they a keyboardist, the sound would be full and the vocals could be
supported by symphonic melody which would enhance the overall sound.  The
guitar effects drain on through stereo chorus and flanger, yet are
unoriginal and tend toward seeming forced.  These guys have got to be great
live though, which explains Pynchon's hanging around their gigs.  The flow
of their sound is energetic, without being tiresome.

Like TRP suggests, this band seems to be on some kind of postmodern
nostalgia trip, but they take us along without appearing either overtly
precocious or deceptively jejune.  Instead, there blossoms an organic
tendency toward apocalyptic chaos -- something which rises from the depths
of the waters off Tokyo, to the surface of a "dark Scottish Loch," or in the
confines of a Jurassic Park, motivated by Nature to threaten our
constructions and systems with both the unpredictability and promise of
randomness.

At times the songs mimic the pleasant optimism of 60s mainstream
overexuberence -- "Rock Chick" reminds me of the Monkeys -- but it's modern
enough in sound that it erodes any real musical tangibility and ends up
being something totally new, nothing burdensome, just feeling.  "The New
Timmy" feeds this youthful outlook as well, one untainted by adolescence,
perhaps... but the similarities to They Might Be Giants brought a smile to
my face... "we don't want they're heads on silver platters..." Cute.

The spastic drum intro and urgent pace of "Dear Sir" and others are
catastrophically reminiscent of Green Day -- they pay homage to the punk
underbelly without caressing the pale white flesh -- vain frenetic thrashing
about and power chords thrust with violent tendencies to collide with
Nietzschean lyrics and teenage angst (which GD has a tendency to overdo),
and thus fail as "punk."  But other songs like "Sandra" are too Violent
Femme-ish to discount the whole bunch as wannabe fluff.  If I were to
categorize the majority of the music here, I'd have to toss it in with
Michael Sweet -- but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be great for soundtrack
material for a Tank Girl sequel! "Dalmacia 007" defines this sound
completely, and stands out as the most refreshing track.

"The Enormous Room" is perhaps the most hallucinogenic tune on the album,
something akin to U2 on valium...very slow, but emotional and tender, while
"Namedropper" extends a lackluster ambivalence to any emotion through nearly
two minutes of ethereal tension which is only rescued by some of the best
neo-prog instrumental exercise I've heard in awhile (outside of Porcupine
Tree or Spock's Brain).

The last track, "Switch" is mainstream enough to end up as one of MTV's Top
Ten -- and if it weren't passed over, this could've been a breakthrough
single for a band that seems unconcerned with placating the suits at
spinArt, Giant or Warner Bros., and who in the end have tossed out a rather
impressive piece of art to be reckoned with (now, if only distribution and
marketing weren't so tough). 

I'm glad I picked this up.  Outside of any reference to TRP, this is good
stuff -- fresh air for a music industry suffocated by
"what's-worked-before-works," image idolatry and Calvin Klein
commercialism... if you're an indie fan, this one is not one you want to
pass up.  If you've grown tired of "classic rock," "soft rock," "adult easy
listening," whatever... give this a spin and be surprised... but don't take
it home to Mom or she'll box yer ears (and still tell you to "turn it down!")

Peace,
JJ "Jester"