(Vapour/Stomp)

Two or three jokes spread slightly too thin

It’s a band called Megapuss, the album cover displays oddball hippie Devendra Banhart and his friend and touring partner Greg Rogove, fighting each other in the nude, and the album opening highlight is a song called Crop Circle Jerk ’94 … clearly this is not going to be a serious album of deeply introspective considerations of the human psyche. Well, if it is, then such considerations would be book-ended by dick jokes and surreal tracks about half-duck, half-human creations. Basically, it’s the same tripped out stuff that has appeared on Banhart’s previous albums, but with further fleshed out arrangements and different points of reference, all while still keeping a keen eye on the mid-sixties. So instead of predominantly acoustic guitar, on Adam & Steve we hear the influence of garage rock that could slot neatly into a Nuggets compilation, while Chicken Titz is a morose nod to early surf music and doo-wop, like The Beach Boys’ Surfer Girl with a filthier mouth. The former song is also notable for a guitar part that is particularly similar to George Michaels’ Careless Whisper, which is as disorienting as it is enjoyable. The album also includes guest spots from The Strokes’ Fabrizio Moretti and comedian Aziz Ansari, further highlighting the relaxed approach to creation. But after 14 songs the carefree vibe and tripped out song matter earns more ire than interest, and a wish for a little more time to be spent crafting songs than hitting bongs. It’s lovely that Banhart is allowing us another insight into his weird and wonderful world, but let’s keep it to an EP maximum next time.

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MITCH ALEXANDER

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