SOUNDTRACK: MOXY FRÜVOUS-Bargainville (1993).
I first heard Moxy Früvous on an NPR weekend morning show. They performed “Johnny Saucep’n” (a tongue twisting a capella marvel) live and it blew my mind. And, lest I forget, these 4 guys do AMAZING a capella. Amazing. Their harmonies are simply magnificent. I immediately went out and got whatever their latest album was (Live Noise, I expect). And I worked my way back from there.
Bargainville is the band’s first disc. It is youthful and silly and is a good mix of their folky sound and their silly songs. Comparisons to Barenaked Ladies abound as they are both Canadian and “funny”. The Früvous funny is more witty than silly, although silliness definitively crops up.
I think of Früvous as one of my favorite bands because, without question, they have written some of my favorite songs. And yet, not every song is a favorite. But even the ones that don’t blow you away are solid and good.
I don’t have anything bad to say about this disc. In fact, it’s a great disc to put on with friends, and pick out the occasional great couplet. But I’m not certain that the disc will blow you away.
There are some outstanding tracks on here. “River Valley” is a beautiful acoustic track about saving the river alley and its drinking water. “Stuck in the 90s” is catchy as all get out” “Fell in Love” is a great song full of sweeping vocal moments. “The Lazy Boy” is another one of those great a capella moments that amazes. Its also a very silly song with references to Charlie’s Angels (the blonde one, the third one). In fact this whole section of the disc is fantastic. “My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors” is an amazing track about, well, books and authors. What’s not to like. See how many authors you recognize! It’s also amazing how catchy one can be with literary rhymes (Who’s pounding the ouzo? Mario Puzo).
“The Drinking Song” is one of their more serious songs and it is terrific. Substance, sadness, superb And, amazingly moving. “King of Spain” is silliness beyond belief. And yet, seeing this song live is a treat and a half. Plus how many songs get to rhyme “zamboni?” The disc ends with “Gulf War Song” an a capella song that is quite serious and very passionate. A fantastic ending to this disc.
Future discs would be a bit more serious, but this is a great start.
Oh and if anyone has a copy of the Indie Tape they’d like to copy for me, I’d love to get “Green Eggs N’ Ham,” which I hear on the radio from time to time but have never seen anywhere. Thanks Kids Corner for playing this track on WXPN in Philadelphia!
[READ: June 23, 2009] “The Crow Procedure”
This issue of The Walrus is the Summer Fiction Issue. It seems to be dedicated to “genres” specifically. Each story is devoted to a genre (and there’s even a genre fiction contest this issue). This first one is science fiction.
The twist seems to be that although the stories are in genres, they move beyond what we normally consider genre fiction. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 