Tedio Boys

Bad Trip (Elevator Music)
by Jon Sarre

Wisely ditchin’ the riot-gun scatter of rock’n’roll buffet American of their first US release, these punked up Portuguese garage rats stake a claim in Crypt/Estrus territory and basically run with it all the way to the cleaners or the methadone clinic or wherever they think they oughtta go for their sophomore slab, Bad Trip. Tedio Boys‘ output compares favorably to other great bands ya probably never heard of, but should (like the Neckbones, Muddy Frankenstein, Huevos Rancheros, or maybe even the Hombres).

Influences, of course, crop up like nympho zombies at a porn-industry trade show. “Burn, Burn, Burn,” for one, with its drownin’ man hiccupin’ coffin nail poundin’ fingers on chalk board slide, recalls Brian Gregory-era Cramps. “Bad Lands” is nearly five minutes of spooky Gun Club redux (by the Chrome Cranks, maybe?). Teengenerate meets Billy Lee Riley and His Little Green Men on “Back From the Crypt” and the Stranglers’ “Choosy Suzy” is recast as dark, dank swampabilly. While I’d guess that alla this musical diversity is inspired by Portugal’s near quarter-century tradition of democracy (tip o’ the pen to the angry emailers who didn’t appreciate my reference to the World War II-era Salazar regime a couple issues back), it’s crystal clear that the Tedio Boys know what they like. Better yet (and rare for pop-culture junkies), they know what to do with it. They do it well, too.
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