The Frontier Brothers’ 2008 album, “Space Punk Starlet,” is the answer to the musical question: What if Neil Young had been the frontman for the Spiders From Mars? It may be the question that nobody was asking, but manoman do I like the answer!
With its bizarre song titles (“How Do You Make Movies When You’re Under the Sea?”), hilarious and touching lyrics (“Knew I was gonna get hit right in the face/But I kissed you anyway/And I’ll take it, I’ll take it for love.”), and fantastically epic spacefolkrock, this album is an experience not to be missed. And from what I’ve, they perform in spandex spacehero costumes. So apparently their live show is quite an experience as well.
I wish I knew why they were just getting around to promoting it now, in 2009. Musically, it’s basically indie/Americana but with a fair-sized helping of nerdity thrown in the mix. Unlike a lot of bands who use costumes, facepaint, or bizarre stageshows to hide the fact that they just aren’t very good, The Frontier Brothers don’t need shtick to be impressive.
My favorite track is the toss-off “Technicalelectronicsupersonicrobot (t.e.s.s.),” a love song to a robot that chants, plaintively, “TESS, you are a wonderful robot. Stay with me all the time.”
Oh, and they blog! http://thefrontierbrothers.blogspot.com/
Very weird stuff there . . .
Everyone’s a Neutron Bomb
Space Punk Starlet
Take it For Love
BONUS ROBOT SONGS!
Mr. Roboto-John Anealio (STYX cover)
Label comps are usually pretty generic affairs: A few “unreleased” hits by a few named artists, and then sample cuts from a disparate collection, none of which belong together, leaving the listener disjointed and bored. That’s why I rarely review them. But Luaka Bop, an unusual label with an international roster, now provides us with an exception to the rule. “Luaka Bop: 21st Century, 21st Year,” is eclectic, to be sure, but it’s world-music feel kept me hooked from the start.
And so it arrives: The first really great mixtape of ’09. Joell Ortiz’s “The Brick” was one of the best rap debuts of this decade, but since then I haven’t been all that impressed with his work. Here, he redeems himself.
