Gun Party
Special TV Microwave Computer
[Self-released, 2011]
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Art-punk outfit Gun Party recently released Special TV Microwave Computer, a nine-song album of ‘60s inspired bad boy rock songs. The idea and direction behind the release are excellent. It’s always entertaining to dress up tunes your parents would dance to in leather and give them a cigarette. The band did a pretty good job of presenting this whole idea on the record and also mixed in quite a few other little gems, stealing ideas from several different styles of music along the way. But while the end product of this journey is a decent effort, it ultimately leaves a strange taste in the mouth (err, ear). After listening to the record you might feel like you just heard a high school production of Grease or Cry Baby; it has the theater major/drama club feel of a Glee episode.
But while I have some definite issues with this album (I’ll get to that in a minute), I want to take a moment to praise what the band did well. First, the production on the record is phenomenally clean. It really sounds great. I’m not sure if I’m a huge fan of the final mix (sometimes it’s too clean and perfect; it tends to isolate certain instruments, keeping the sound from feeling organic and natural) but, really, this record was done very professionally. Also, I think a lot of the individual parts are incredibly well written. Gun Party is clearly a very talented group of musicians who aren’t afraid to find inspiration in a wide variety of musical locations. If Special TV Microwave Computer were an omelet it would have a lot of different vegetables and spices in it. It also has a real rock and roll attitude that any rebel at heart should find intriguing. Balancing this brash spirit, however, is a light-hearted, almost tongue-in-cheek vibe that lets us know that the band doesn’t take itself too seriously. With few exceptions, Special TV Microwave Computer is a good time all around.
The problem is that when all the various parts of the album (and there are a lot of them) get meshed together on the record, it loses any sense of direction. Songs like “Runaway” and “Kite Fights” seem aimlessly strung together; indeed, the band switches gears so often that on a few occasions I found myself checking to make sure I was still listening to the same band. In most cases thinking outside the box helps make music more unique and interesting, but it has to be done within the context of the song and overall project. A band has to know itself well enough to scrap parts that don’t actually bring a song to a new level or doesn’t say something that they set out to communicate. Too many times on this record, I felt like Gun Party was satisfied with blindly throwing paint on a canvas without really assessing if they were saying what they actually meant to say. Music is a way of expressing, in a very spiritual and emotional way, our ideas with someone else. When a band doesn’t take the time to prune away random ideas that come into their music, then they aren’t communicating something specific and intentional. The result is that they often end up saying nothing worthwhile at all. The best a song can be without a specific viewpoint behind it is some pleasant noises and a band sounding “cool.” It can never tap into that raw, spiritual essence of sharing not only one’s thoughts with someone, but feelings as well.
Honestly, I’m a little bummed with this album. This doesn’t mean that it’s a bad release, because it’s really not. It simply doesn’t live up to the theoretical potential that the combination of the band’s talents, the production quality and the overarching theme could have accomplished. The old saying that claims good is the worst enemy of great would be a fitting proverb for Special TV Microwave Computer. But, it’s definitely worth a listen as the band is obviously talented and pulled some cool tricks on it. As they move forward I expect we will see great things from Gun Party, as long as they can really focus their energy and say what they really want to, not what just comes out on the first try.
More Info:
Bandcamp: www.gunparty5000.bandcamp.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GunParty
MySpace: www.myspace.com/gunparty
Great review Moe!
Caught this gang at Nophest and I think there is a definite disconnect between GP’s strengths (an effing crazy, energetic live show) and this album. It’s something virtually every rock band struggles to capture and most bands that work at it eventually do. It’s refreshing to read a review that is encouraging a band in that direction.
The Live show is twisted and amazing and the album is here and there, these guys will be fun to watch progress.