DISClosure: Fu Manchu • Buzz Poets • Reggae Cowboys

DISClosure
CD Reviews Of A National Scale

Fu Manchu
King of the Road

by Isaac Morrison

Fu Manchu …What can I say? A young Black Sabbath plays Blue Cheers greatest hits? Deep Purple drives a custom Ford conversion van down Coastal Highway One? …With the casual conviction of men who truly believe in rock’n’roll, Fu Manchu exudes a riff-heavy confidence on King of the Road that drives their music to heights of pure aesthetic bombast. This disc, if listened to properly, will make you violate local speed ordinances.

Quite possibly the best driving album since Masters of Reality, King of the Road kicks more ass than a five-legged mule. Even stripped of all content, it is quite simply, monstrous two-guitar rock. Solid songwriting combines with snarling fuzz-tone to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting public audience using nothing more than eleven songs about cars. Purity … elegant purity.

By my second listen through, I was already howling along to the chorus of the title track, “…King of the Road says you move too slow … King of the Road says you move TOO slow.” If you don’t like to drive fast, then you won’t like this album, but if you ever need to make it across America on short notice, this record will take you anywhere you need to go.

Buzz Poets
Pretzel Sex

by Scott Smith

“This is probably the most challenging record you have put on your turntable.” This statement is the opening announcement to Buzz Poets’ Pretzel Sex. The announcer continues, “I’m sure there’s going to be more than one unpleasant surprise before we’re done.” This announcement is included by Buzz Poets as the first selection on the CD, and forewarns the listener about the content of the music on the CD, as does the parental advisory label (“Explicit Contents”) on the CD cover.

While this selection of music by this Pittsburgh band does contain questionable material, the music itself offers a variety for the listeners to appreciate. Pretzel Sex, in many ways, opens with its second selection, “Roller Coaster Ride,” which offers the listener a hard rock feel with a heavy guitar rift and a fast tempo that certainly catches the listeners’ attention. Many would say that the first impression says much and determines whether someone will stick around for a second — and what “Roller Coaster Ride” offers is enough to make the litener stay. The third song, “Barbie Q,”offers a blast back to the days of the Beach Boys. However, the lyrics, which encourage “burning all the Barbies” is quite different than those surfing tunes. “Clone” is the fourth song and is a light, mellow, pleasant-sounding tune with a slow rap in the middle. Lyrically, like many well-known rock and pop tunes, this song gives the impression of someone who has just come off of a bitter break up with a significant other.

It seems appropriate to follow a slow song with a fast, hard rocking tune. Such is the case with the fifth song, “Twisted”. “Twisted” has a very heavy – metal feel to it which screams of anger, rebellion, and dysfunction. “China on Sunday” is the sixth song and offers a direct contrast to “Twisted”. Dreaming and chasing clouds on Sunday seems to be the general theme of this song.

“Pretzel Sex,” the title song of the CD, could be the biggest reason for that parental advisory label. Like several of the previous songs, “Pretzel Sex” is a very hard-rocking song woven through with orgasmic noises and loaded with words that would be inappropriate to include here.

“Copenhagen Girl,” the next tune, pokes fun at women who chew tobacco. It’s filled with flowing guitar melodies, then turns country with a nice banjo lick at the end. “Milky Way” is a fine example of rock and reminiscent of another band out of Pittsburgh, Rusted Root. “One More Dance” takes the listener back to the days of Disco with its very real spin on the style. Obviously the persona is angry about a romance that did not last. “You’re breathing indecency for leaving when I’m not through holding you” is repeated several times. “Candy Raindrops” is perhaps the most beautiful piece on the CD. This slow, sad ballad uses a lot of keyboards. Here, it’s almost as if the anger that filled some of the earlier songs has turned to despair. “Hello,” dedicated to Tripper’s mother, is a hard rock tune with a lot of heavy guitar; it’s generally happy but has some sad undertones. The final song, “Fire,” goes out with a bang — or perhaps a bong. It’s a hard rock song with a lot of drug references. Here’s one more reason for the parental advisory.

Buzz Poets offers a great deal of variety in a unique fashion with Pretzel Sex. Perhaps we will hear more from this band. And while some of their material is questionable, much of it deserves to be heard.

Reggae Cowboys
Rock Steady Rodeo

by Karen L. Wisotzkey

If you think the group name is an interesting combination, you should hear the CD! I find it interesting that the lyrics on almost every track stay with the theme of the Wild West — Indians, Geronimo, the rodeo, and the gold rush, just like the name of the band might indicate. After all, we tend to associate cowboys with old westerns, don’t we?

Just like on their first CD, Reggae Cowboys have successfully combined a Caribbean reggae sound — organ-like keyboard with a syncopated, bouncy beat, and that old western guitar that makes you feel like you’re home on the range. Just imagine — the stereotype of reggae is that “don’t worry, be happy” attitude. And, picture those night-time Wild West campfires with acoustic guitar tunes easing cowboys into slumber. Sounds relaxing, doesn’t it? And it is — even if the lyrics do tell tales about the days of high-action and excitement.

The first few tracks really stir up a rhythm of happy-go-lucky spirit — makes you want to bounce right along! Even the remake of “How Does it Feel” has an uplifting quality! Around the half-way point, the music becomes more of a soothing backdrop for whatever you’re doing at the time. You may not remember anything you’ve heard, but I guarantee that by the time you hear the final song, a very mellow, slow version of “Redemption Song,” you’ll be relaxed … peaceful … like coming out of meditation, it’s right up there with Kenny G’s “Songbird” on the scale of soothing, relaxation!

Perhaps this is a way of bridging the gap between cultures, but whatever the Reggae Cowboys had in mind with this combination, it continues to work!