The Neighbors - Mobile Homes EP
(Realm of Records)
The punchy, sharp opener of the latest release from the insanely prolific Allen Farmelo and his Buffalo trailer trashmen (“Monotonous”) reminds me of the Dandy Warhols, ca. Come Down crossbred with the ballsy, grungy crunch of Neil Young riding his Crazy Horse into the sunset; “Jack-O-Lantern” is sprightly, infectious pop that reminded me of those irresistibly catchy Saturday morning cartoon theme songs that I grew up on, such as “The Banana Splits,” “Speed Racer” and “Spiderman.” If Hanna-Barbera ever decided to create a new series centered around the exploits of a friendly pumpkinhead saving his hometown from invading zombies and evil Halloween spirits – imagine all those costumes coming to life and taking over the lives of the little kiddies inside them – then they need look no further for its theme song.
Aficionados of long-forgotten, but great 80s power pop bands like The Beat, The Pop and 20/20 will enjoy “Young and Out of Control,” although I would have preferred less distortion on the vocal front, and closer, “In For The Night” (despite its wonderful double-entendre title that may keep it off the more conservative college radio playlists) is another bouncy pop gem that can proudly hold its head high alongside Guided By Voices’ and Husker Dü’s more accessible efforts. So while the production could be a little crisper and cleaner, there’s no denying the hookladen charm of this EP, and the curious are encouraged to check out (and download) Allen and the band’s six other releases, including Allen’s 70-song collection of demos (DEMOlition DEMOnstration) on their fun and informative website.
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