Schatzi - Death of the Alphabet EP
(Mammoth)
When Superchunk uses a xylophones, the instruments is woven into the songs
seamlessly, serving as much purpose as the guitars or drums. When Schatzi uses
such things, it's just a gimmick, a red herring to distract you as the songs
suckerpunch you. With a few twinkling tones introducing "Death of the Alphabet," Schatzi roars into a snotty number not too far from Superchunk's earlier work.
The sharpness of the production softens the rough edges, though, lending the
proceedings grandeur usually associated with corporate entities like the Foo
Fighters or Weezer.
Naming this EP after its best song is a smart move—right after that xylophone
introduction, the song hits the ground running, pushing all the right buttons
(including the addition of backup female vox, ably essayed by Heroes & Villains
vocalist Adrienne Verhoeven). The following 3 songs shimmy & shake in
comparable fashion, though not with the efficiency and accuracy of the title
track. The EP's main purpose is to promote Schatzi's upcoming Mammoth LP, Fifty
Reasons to Explode, and these 4 songs do a fine job in that regard.
Unfortunately, there are another 4 tracks to slog through on the way to the end
of this promotional exercise. One is a less impressive offering from Schatzi's
previous album, two are non-album tracks with a rougher, less tantalizing
flavor, and the last is a smorgasbord remix of "Death of the Alphabet" striking
dub & disco poses. It's not a good look; it's downright hideous.
When this
group sticks to what it does best—that is, rocking the Schapf/Rothrock
super-clean rock productions—the results are quite enjoyable.
If you are a
fan of such rock, I would recommend saving your disposable income for the
official release of the record. If you're not a fan of this sort of stuff, get
thee gone, like, yesterday.
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