Throttle

(Tee Pee)
by Steve Tremain

Sure, they’re loud, angry and fast. But Throttle is weird, too. The chords on Throttle don’t sound right, they talk about drinking a lot (case in point, “River of Whiskey,” and “House Drunkard”), and then there’s “Mel Bay’s Nightmare” and “Daredevil,” the latter which is a strange country/circus sounding tune with a high pitched elf demanding that we do things to him, like setting his hair on fire. They’ve also got this epileptic start-and-stop thing happening, tight as your little sister. Along with all that they put in off-putting and peculiar samples. The sound bites reflect a lot about the band. Opening up the CD, you hear “We’ve got to get some booze/It’s the only solution for this intense cold.” Later on, “Evil, man/He can say, ‘Hey motherfucker, 8 ball in the side pocket.’/And he’ll do it.” They also throw in some Scooby Doo clips (that Fred cracks me up). I thought this stuff wouldn’t really be my thing, but I’m getting into it. The off-tempo breaks and unexpected changes sort of suck you in to listening. Their songs have several parts, each completely different from the last. They set up each one solidly, and you don’t feel like you’ve lost anything when they change. What’s most impressive is that it seems to be only two people, recorded live to tape. TWO PEOPLE? I gotta see this for myself. I’ll talk to you again after I see their live show.