When "The Lobster Boys" Jester Records Trick 014 2001 (56:33)
(Theme From) The Lobster Boys (2:38)
Cut (5:28)
Flower
Jam (4:46)
Z 33 (1:47)
Sunshine Superhead (2:25)
Instant Flute (4:04)
The
Greatest Sorrow On Earth (3:45)
Puff Pipe (3:54)
Ruin
Yourself (7:06)
Ruin Mix (2:13)
Too Much Hello Goodbye Again? (2:11)
(16:16)
Lars Pedersen is the main man behind When and this is his 8th full length album since 1983, 2nd for Jester Records (not counting the 2 disc retrospective "WriterCakebox"). 1999's "Psychedelic Wunderbaum" greatly impressed me with it's curiously fun collection of eccentric avante pop and just plain avante. "The Lobster Boys" has done the same. The back cover wallpaper of oldies children's, educational, jazz and classical records presumably gives a good clue to the source of some of the sampled passages and sounds that Pedersen grafts to his own vocals and organ, guitar, bass, xylophone and drum playing. And many others find their way into the cut and paste mix, some thanks to a few other players: piano, sitar, guitar, flamenco guitar, viola, melodica and industrial rhythms. There is an indelible cartoon spirit and late '60s pop vibe throughout When's songs. "Flower Jam", "Sunshine Superhead" and "Instant Flute" have an uncanny similarity to recent Ween while "The Greatest Sorrow on Earth" and "Puff Pipe" make the best use of mellow jazz loops. It's all rather happy-go-lucky up until "Ruin Yourself" takes a decidedly darker turn, repeating the increasingly creepy mantra "all together now / all together now / all together now my friends / together we ruin ourself". There really should be a single for this one. I can't get it out of my head and I don't want to. An unlisted 16+ minute track is the finale, eventually settling into a hypnotic distorted mass that cleverly concludes with a woman's voice softly approving "what a pretty tune, please play it again soon". "The Lobster Boys" is one of those albums you can play anytime, anywhere for anyone. It refuses to be pigeonholed and refuses to be boring. Just like everything else from When and Jester ...
Where did I get this cd? - promo.