Butthole Surfers


Independent Worm Saloon

Very weird group. If you like Ministry, you will probably get into these guys (even though they've been around way before Ministry). They mix punk, thrash, and noise effectively with a delicious pop aesthetic, the first time they've accomplished this in their long history.


Weird Revolution

The title of the Butthole Surfers' latest release can certainly be applied to the band itself: their musical noodlings have definitely been part of the weird revolution in music, freaking out the "normal" musicians. The album however doesn't live up to its name, though there are sparks of the Surfers' genius floating about.

The frame of reference I use for measuring any Butthole Surfers' work is Independent Worm Saloon. It was the album where the band took their trademark corrosive sound and gave it a pop sensibility that made it evident that they were innovators in their own right (much the way Pure Guava did for Ween and Mellow Gold did for Beck). This album is indeed noisy and innovative, but doesn't radiate energy the way Independent Worm Saloon did.

The album sounds as though the band mixed their previous great punk-pop tunes (songs like Who Was in My Room and Chewing George Lucas' Chocolate) with polished radio hits (like Pepper). The result, when you throw in songs that sound like they were made using ACID-like looping techniques, is Weird Revolution.

If you've not figured it out yet, much like the band and the album, this review is contradictory. The album is highly enjoyable, but yet a thorough listening reveals the cracks quickly. I do think the Surfers are still being creative and inventive, but perhaps they've gotten too comfortable in their niche.


Music ramblings || Ram Samudrala || me@ram.org