SO GLAD THE GURUS ARE BACK!
Meghan Taff | St Louis, MO United States | 04/17/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's been a long seven years for Hoodoo Gurus' fans. The Australian punk-pop-rock band that had found much of its success on college radio called it a day back in 1997 much to the dismay of many. But lead vocalist/guitarist Dave Faulkner, guitarist Brad Shepherd, drummer Mark Kingsmill, and bassist Rick Grossman are back and have an amazing new album to boast. Mach Schau, which when translated means, "Make a show", marks the bands return to the top of their game. The band pretty much picks up where they left off with their last studio album, 1996's Crank. Mach Schau combines all of the elements that made the Gurus a great band. There are the hard rocking guitars, the sometimes-quirky-sometimes-earnest lyrics, and the unforgettable melodies. These are the songs that you'll have stuck in your head for days on end. Their earlier efforts were considered surfer music that contained unique stories within the songs. Case in point being the song, "I Was a Kamikaze Pilot", which told the story of a pilot who made it out alive, or "Leilani" a song about a tribal princess who threw herself into a volcano when she couldn't marry a commoner. But that was back in the 80's; this is 2004. The quirkiness can still be found in songs like, "Girls on Top". With the lyrics, "Understand you're a man/ she has got the upper hand/ You'd better be on your guard/ She's making it hard and she's holding all the cards", Faulkner seems to be the only one who understands how real relationships work. The earnestness can be found in the song "Dead Sea", a commentary on religion, and "Penelope's Lullaby" the last track that's almost hidden after a long pause, but rest assured it is there. The first track, "Chop" seems to genre jump as it bounces between a guitar driven choruses and disco-bass/distorted-guitar verses. Faulkner's vocals were almost unrecognizable upon the first listening. "Isolation" is a Ramones' inspired punk diddy and "#17" is more of a hard rock track. "Domino" and "When You Get to California" are throwbacks to the band's old surfer sound. The latter comes complete with dreamy, Mamas and Papas harmonies and mariachi horns that make you long to get in the car and drive to California just so you can lay on the beach. The most brilliant song by far on this album is "Nothing's Changing My Life". The song is like having a split personality and the conversation that would result. The verses and chorus are a schizophrenic mishmash of classic rock influences. Something that starts out with a Beatle-ish quality morphs into a Supertramp reply, which again morphs into a chorus that has a chord structure and melody reminiscent of Lynyrd Skynyrd.So after all these years did the Hoodoo Gurus Mach Schau? That's a resounding YES!"
Not a return to form....
P-head | Honolulu | 08/08/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"...because they never actually went away! The mighty Hoodoo Gurus, less an American deal, release another album in 2004--that's the good news, the bad news is it's an Australia-only release (like all the remastered versions of the earlier albums, which you must also buy. RIGHT NOW.) which means you'll be parting with some dollars. Is this as brilliant as "Mars Needs Guitars"? No. Is it a solid collection of guitar pop? Empathically yes. Face it, if you're reading this far, you already know the Gurus' charms and if you don't, buy the remastered catalog and "Mach Schau" ("make show", dontcha know)."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1