Herman Dune - Mash Concrete Metal Mushroom
(Shrimper)
A brief introduction and table of contents ("Intro T-C") announces that the fourth full-length (there's also a split EP with Cerberus Shoal floating around on North East Indie that we reviewed back in issue #34) from these multinational, avant garde, lo-fi, folkjokeopus wackos is their New York City album. (Swedish/Swiss by nationality, Parisian by residence and New Yawkahs by recording studio, I'm also giving bonus points if you can spot the, admittedly obvious, sci-fi reference in their chosen pseudonym!)
This time out, the trio (Swedish guitar-slinging brothers, André and David-Ivar and Swiss drummer, Neman—they've all adopted the Herman Düne surname, a la The Ramones) treat us to a quirky, folkadelic tale about "New Jersey Cross Concrete," the backporch, shitkickin' Tennessee two-step of "On The Knick" (New York basketball team reference duly noted!) that'll have fans of label-mates, the Mountain Goats, doing backflips across the room, and a strangulated Jonathan Richman impression on the campfire singalong, "Monkey Song," which probably sounds even more hilarious after a few bonghits on the way to the keg. "Let Me Pry" will shortly rekindle loving memories of the heartbreaking, tears-in-your-beers whining of Souled American, and if you miss vintage Bill (Smog) Callahan, "All About You" is the perfect remedy to those absent-minded releases he's been foisting on us of late.
"Not That Big A Story" is exactly that...it's not that big a song, either. Skip it and fast forward to the "Futon Song," which can only half-jokingly be described as our beloved Jonathan Richmond tripping on mushrooms through the NYC subway system. Some tasty Garcia-inspired guitar licks and a calypso back-beat also accompany you on your "trip." So order up a couple of double-'shroom pies and a case of "tall boys" and invite the neighbors over. It's Party Time!
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