Uncle Spudd – “Such Good Friends”
Lots of good bands up North.
I’m talking Maine way.
It’s just not a place of good vacation spots, beautiful scenery and sightings of inter-species mating among Moose and mankind.
Oh, no! There’s a small, but potent, punk scene up there.
I’ve seen this band, USA Waste, Jimmy Jacked, Scotty Saints & True Believers and I’ve heard, but not seen, No Good- and they’re all really good, really great.
Oh, and can I mention? My pick for best cd/EP/bandcamp I’ve reviewed in the last year is an all female electro-punk band from Maine- Phallus Uber Allles!
Once upon a time, punk was considered strictly city music. It was close and confined, fast paced, real and hard- much like city life can be. I’m talking olden days when the centers of punk were New York, Boston and London. Suburbia was more spacious in land and that lent itself to the appreciation of prog rock- like Pink Floyd and Genesis, music that was slower and more spacious.
Or it could be that some people just have some seriously, spaciously bad taste.
But lettuce ponder no longer, and move from the salad to the Maine course and move onto our (steak and) potato friends. Uncle Spudd delivers the goods even if they might be up to no good. Even if they truly believe the USA is full of waste. And that Jimmy jacked off the Saints!
Let’s slam dunk the band puns and just listen:
“Dear, Diary, Uhh…” starts out as a mellow, surf instrumental then abruptly turns into an eighties, new wave sounding song recalling the great New Jersey band from that time, The Feelies. Then is evolves into an early, Pink Floyd vibe. Then back to The Feelies or maybe, The Pixies, as well, where from there it just rides out majestically.
“Maybe this fish wasn’t meant to climb a tree.” A terrific line from “Run Forever” with its’ great, grunge-y, garage rock crunching chords. The verse has a neat, falsetto leap in it along with a Beach Boys like “Wooh” in the chorus. “My clothes haven’t been fitting right. Mom still tucks me in every night. Maybe this is the reason I can’t get a girl to say- Hi?” But don’t fret, songs as good as this doesn’t grow on trees let alone climb on them. Or are as prevalent as fish in the sea. A great tune.
“TV Land” with it’s chuggin’ chords much like The Cars used to play and high melodic vocals in The Police/The Romantics vein that delivers much more than my careless references would describe. It’s basically about someone tuning out life and just existing in media. This is a melodic punk/eighties pop influenced song that shines in its’ genre at it’s finest. “Go ahead and worry your lives away. I’ll be right at home here, living in happy days.” No need to change the dial.
“Post Mortem” has a kind of Violent Femmes feel to it with its’ straight ahead beat and wailing vocals. “If you were at my open casket funeral. You’d probably have more to say than you currently do.” Hmm, that might be good or bad? “If you ever, never could see me again. You would probably love me too.” I guess, that’s plausible. But what is knowable to me is this is a song with meaningful lyrics and life affirming music that should be felt as great, whichever side of existence you’re upon.
“I know if I sit in this parking lot long enough. I’ll see you again, eventually. But nothing will have changed. I will have gone nowhere. Oh well, whatever, who even cares.” So goes “Paved Paradise” as the music bashes and crashes along with a modified Bo Didley beat, the singer relays a story of heartbroken love that borders on stalking. Or more so, on the sting of lost love that aches long after the wound should have healed. There’s a nice Dinosaur Jr. like guitar solo in the center of this, and though there’s the heartbreak a really great song came out of it. My favorite on this album.
I predicted that Uncle Spudd is moving away from what TNB covers on their last great release. And much like Coffin Salesman, another great band, I see them moving slowly away from our group. And like with Coffin Salesman there is great songwriting that can’t be denied.
But it’s not a bad thing, really, their drifting, change in life is inevitable. And creative writers have to move where their inspiration takes them. Like mine seems to always take me to the refrigerator for more beer.
There’s a lot of great music here, great lyrics. Lots of wistful and meaningful songs, too- that maybe fit more in the alternative/indi genre or even country.
But this is still an extraordinarily great album with some extraordinarily great songs whatever genre or box you want to pigeonhole them into, it’s fine with me.
I’d sum it up like this: Good friends, great songs, amazing album.
(Slimedog)
