Metal Molly

Surgery for Zebra (Silvertone)
by Sheril Stanford

They call themselves “post nauseous hip trip pop noise” when they’re not busy calling their sound “sick pop with sane moments.” It’s pretty hard to top those very accurate descriptions, but I’ll blunder lamely along nonetheless. You might be familiar with Metal Molly‘s earlier released single called “Superskunk” (with Alvin and the Chipmunks on guest vocals, I think). So, ummm, what if Ween got in an accident with the Pixies? Bart Simpson joined Nirvana? Nah, that’s stupid. Well, if you’re beginning to get the idea that this band is a bit goofy, that they might be the kind of guys that would use the words “yabba dabba” in their lyrics, well, you’d be on target. You’d also be right if you imagined they employ carnival organ openings and use codas with cabaret style horns. Cuz they do. Did it occur to you that they might sing songs about the relationship between “my inner me and my inner you,” and call it “PVC”? Yep, that’s the kind of band they are. They demand their inalienable right to levity and they pursue it with crazed creativity far beyond the bounds of decency. “Some folks say oranges are blind…,” they sing on “Oranges,” a tune that is clearly a nod to the Beatles in their Sgt. Pepper days. Did you bet that all this drollery would be set to pleasantly gritty, upbeat pure pop noise? See how clever you are?

Do they really say “Make me fuck” repeatedly at the end of “Autumn Colors?” Does “Monday is Queer” really start with “wish I had a place where I could dweeb”? Would you think they might record the rustlings of a plastic bag and use it as background to “Round,” their only slow acoustic piece and maybe put a bit of violin on it? Would they record a mess o’ noise and scream in the middle of it, “60,000 Brill buildings and rising”? Well yes, they would. I mean, I don’t know what a Brill building is (should I capitalize it or not?), never mind one that’s rising… Wow! Who knew those Belgians could be so darn crazy.