Guerilla Toss – “Gay Disco” – [NNA]

Thurston Hunger   1/15/2014   12-inch, A Library

Pretty much the same five as their first release, well the guitarist
changed his middle name and the bassist lost his clothes. Still they
have Kassie Carlson on hissy fit vocals. I think she kinda digs
the rhythm of phrases, and her hysteric vocals are definitely
ear-catching (and the lyrics printed this time too, to see if
you can swim up the stream of her consciousness). Too bad there’s
no karoake option to hear just the music, I don’t think anyone
else in the world would come up with the same malady/melody to
drop on top. The musicians are top notch, but in a state of
near constant helter-skelter swelter. Must be a lot sweat when
the play live. I’ve got to believe one of them sleeps with a Yes
album under his pillow. Or maybe Belew-era King Crimson? It’s
allllll backtalk. Listening to this album, I pictured a wild pack
of clowns, driving around town, but really evil clowns not the
type that everyone pretends to be afraid of, but the mastermind-
behind-horrible-crimes kinda clowns. There’s a serious goofiness
or goofy seriousness at play, and some insane composition at work
as well. On the lead off track, there’s some of the guitar
slide-stretch ripped from a Wile E. Coyote prank, and other
cartoon squiggles too. Peter Negroponte as drummer somehow holds
it all together, but Ian Kovac Jr’s synth fills help a lot.
There were about five of us KFJC’ers who really dug the Feeding
Tube release, this one is a little tighter in sound and the
songs more recognizable chorus/verse/break/end’s than last time.
Dig the squishy physicist’s funk moves on “Operate.” Eavesdrop
on the phone message intro for “Sugar Better” did the guy say
“I’m a big wheel” then Kassie comes on and channels her
Japanese exchange student and invokes some haiku jitsu.
-Thurston Hunger