This "best of" collection of woozy, kitschy plunderphonia looks back on
ten years of PLU releases over the course of 30 tracks. The finer
moments foster nostalgia for childhood memories you've never had, as
Vicki Bennett's strong suit is the whimsical collage of sounds that
appeal to the immature side of her audience. Uneasy listening, bathroom
humor, gaudy polka jaunts, field recordings and happy singalongs all
emerge from the blender as a dadaistic children's record. That's not to
say that this music is unsophisticated; many of the juxtapositions are
brilliant. The closest comparison I could make would be Stock, Hausen
and Walkman, but PLU does not shoehorn the samples into beat-oriented
electronic music. People Like Us has a very personalized approach
that has more to do with the silly innocence of Spike Jones than the
dark cynicism of fellow cut-uppers Negativland. But this innocence is
savagely taken advantage of on "If someone touches you," which is
hilarious but will have you feeling creepy for laughing. Sort of like
the deviant side of Paul Rubens creeping onto the set of the Pee Wee
Herman show and molesting the talking chair. The parts of this record
that fall short for me are some of the vocal snippets pulled from radio
interviews and TV call-ins as they just don't share the exotic appeal
of the musical constructions. But the slow spots don't take too much
away from this highly entertaining retrospective.
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