1x*****,4x****
"Deceptacon"***** was featured in the indie film Reprise, so its context may affect my judgement, but its perfect electronic punk was memorable and holds up in any setting. The album has a dose of the pop of sign-song-y "Hot Topic" and 60's garage influenced "My My Metrocard"**** (Oh fuck Giuliani, he such, fucking jerk, shut down all the strip bars, workfare does not work is the most amusingly stupid verse). "What's Ya Take On Cassavettes"**** is even more jokey (Genius, misogynist, alcoholic, hey where's Gina?), and sometimes the strange spoken poetry is falls over the edge to pretentious, such as the professorial excerpts of "Sideshow At Free University" and "Dude Yr So Crazy!!", a spoken list of buzz words/want ads. But the furious, unhinged vocal of "The The Empty" shows the capacity for immediacy, as does "Eau d' Bedroom Dancing"****, this album's "In The Garage", with its ragged, angular lead guitar. This combination of emotional distance and immediacy gives the album a depth that keeps the more amateurish tendencies from being boring and off-putting. The album ends with its most emotional outpouring, a tribute to "Les And Ray"****.
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