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Sometimes cleverness is a good thing

Ryan Lipscomb | 08/11/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"These guys are funny. But not in the obvious Bloodhound Gang way. More like how David Foster Wallace is funny, subtle, clever manipulations of language mixed with detailed observation and feeling. The songs are filled with witty insights and references, delivered in Franklin Bruno's full, wailing voice. Examples--A scenario from "Drinking Game," a song about unrequited love for a tease: "Sitting on my lap at a party / naming things that we've never done / You can hardly come up with any / I can only concentrate on one."Or, a line from "Career Day": "...that sharpened sense of the Kafkaesque you coveted and feared..."Great lyrics set to extremely catchy, hook filled power-pop. It's not rocket science, but it's good stuff. Hard to compare them to anybody, maybe lyrically similar to Ben Fold's Five, musically similar to . . . I don't know, but some of my favorite bands are Guided by Voices, Pavement, The Promise Ring, Weezer, so maybe that helps."

Great Stuff

JOSH BENTLEY | Athens, GA United States | 10/21/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Franklin Bruno is without question the greatest in the overflowing genre of rockstar/substitute teacher/Josh Mostel lookalike. Not their best work, but a great NPB primer for anyone unfamiliar with the band."