Knodel - Dawn of the Butterfly
(My Pal God)

About all I knew about Knodel before they signed to My Pal God Records (the home of the new American joke rock?) were ads running in Magnet Magazine that quoted Trans Am proclaiming Knodel to be the best band in the world. Or maybe it was just in France, I'm not sure. Now that Trans Am's TA and Knodel's Dawn of the Butterfly have come out, I know why. Trans Am clearly had reason to admire Knodel; Knodel learned to commit fully to the joke long before Trans Am did.

Knodel really is an amazing band. At least that's what Knodel says. And if Knodel says it, we have to believe it. Knodel sounds are the most beautiful sounds in the world. It is as if your mother is being ripped open right in front of your eyes, and you begin to see light. Yeah.

There seems to be a rule that all music jokes have to involve prog or wave. Knodel involves both prog and wave. Devo wore funny red hats in the "Whip It" video. Thomas Dolby rode a funny white moped in the "She Blinded Me With Science" video. Knodel wears funny white hats and rides red mopeds on the cover of the Dawn of the Butterfly album. If this sort of post-wave bemusement flirts your fancy, then Knodel is here. Perhaps they even have a sidecar you can ride in.

When Knodel wants to rock you, like in "Knodel Rocks" when Knodel sings "Knodel wants to rock you now," Dawn of the Butterfly is viscerally entertaining. Leadoff title track gets things started right with its firey chorus and crashing drum-machine cacophony. Knodel brings it down on "I Told You (I Love You)" with some 80s teen movie soundtrack fodder. Knodel gets sauve and sophisticated... Riviera style... on "Knodel's Going To Take You Home," suit-and-bow-tie Romantic new wave.

Yet, for each fun and jubilant bit of Knodel energy, there's a boring exercise like "Red" or one too many songs that just seem to be about Knodel rocking you. But if you are willing to buy into the joke as much as Knodel is, Dawn of the Butterfly is fun and fanciful.

jim steed 2002 aug 16