Clown Core "Toilet" (2018)

 

 

Predecessor to a similarly structured Van, Toilet's waning novelty grounds its impact, having listened Van prior. Elapsing from crunching bursts of garbled Grindcore mania into esoteric Jazz and beyond, the blaring toy horn, jolted timing stunts and frenzied ghoulish growls sadly fall short. On a joke turning stale, the moments of musical magic shy from a curious wonderment achieved in its successor. The many pivots into bass drum grooves or scenic Smooth Jazz interludes have charm but lack a maturity.

Toilet, possibly recorded in a porta-loo, reeks of youthful adventure. A bold plunge into a vision, mostly realized but leaning on its own oddities too much. Jarring synth noises and unhinged blast beats drop all to frequently, the counteracting moments of gratification only mediocre. Although I have hindsight tainting my perspective, it really feels as if Van is a rework of this piece, going back to the architecture for a redo.

Rating: 4/10

Clown Core "Van" (2020)

 

Sudden bursts of paranoid Cybergrind madness and muddled demonic screams on its opening pair of tracks may paint a crude, unhinged impression of these nightmare-fuel circus buffoons. Setting their intentional ugly, hellish jokester veneers aside, this anonymous Clown Core duo splice spicy Saxophone leads and lively, animated Jazz Fusion ideals between bizarre rhythmic renditions and comical timing antics.

Early on the pair toy with foolish bicycle horn jives, an oddity to spin in your musical favor. Progressing, stiff toned drum and snare grooves rattle out keen rhythmic wonders, driving the record along. Freakish synth machinations accompany, often in syncopation with the drums, these eerie, ghoulish tones lurch as Sax melodies take focus. A subtly unsettled soulful interludes finds home too, among its many anomalies.

Existence culminates all its elements to play a twisted descent, erupting mid-way to double down on its clownish madness for a peculiar ending. End then indulges us in smoky ambience on a roomy soft piano piece, only to pivot yet again as we embark on a cheesy, upbeat 80s daytime TV Show melodic romp. Somehow... it makes sense?

Van, possibly recorded live inside a van, is a musical outlier that just works. Twisting many strange ideas to its will, the seventeen minute ride still feels fresh after many spins. Its a gratifying experience, even if delivered through a distorted haze of strangeness, its grooves and melodies come through with magnetism, forging a unique and baffling realm to call its own, fit to entertain oneself with its odd curiosities.

Rating: 7/10

Hot Dad "Wrestle" (2016)

Comedy and music don't always mix for me but when it works it can be pretty spectacular, which is what this record is in terms of putting a smile on your face and having a good time. Hot Dad is a one man band from America who's music focuses around a quirky and crude sense of humor. What he does so well on this release is parody with sparkly, colorful harmonized music that's lighthearted, simple yet executed with a sense of excellence that lets the underlying joke prevail, as opposed the mocking a genre with poor instrumentals, something Ive heard done to often.

So these songs are about wrestlers but they could simply be parodies of entrance songs with each track singing praises to the wrestler in question. All the tracks are about 90 seconds or less which is fantastic, the joke doesn't get stale and we swiftly move from one to the next. Each of the tracks have a distinctly 80's pop vibe about them but in an odd way, one that lacks the sense of cheese that came from the era's excessive use of electronic instruments that didn't have quite the polish they needed. Thanks to much care in composition and quality these melodies and hooks feel rather charming and the cheese simply reinforces the jokes which get increasingly crude and explicit as the record draws on.

The record starts with its best and perhaps the joke tires as the record draws on but it genuinely feels like the first twelve or so are considerably better than the rest. Hot Dad's light, fresh and poppy voice are a constant source of joy, dropping in higher ranged notes with typically pop vocal hooks and catches that again go for quality to reinforce the joke. There's a fair few songs that feel very familiar, "The Rock" reminds me of Thin Lizzy. It could be that these songs are also covers however radio pop music has never my strong point. Its a terrific record that's worth a listen if you want a chuckle, after a fair few listens the joke still holds on but the weaker tracks show themselves.

Rating: 6/10

Cal Chuchesta "The New Calassic" (2015)

 Anthony Fantano, AKA "The Needle Drop" brings his much loved idiotic, clueless roommate character into the spotlight with a mixtape record of songs to make you chuckle and laugh as Cal Chuchesta fumbles through a collection of rap numbers exposing his confused and dimwitted mind. The record is a collaborative effort with Fantano calling on his friends from the music parody scene to help produce and feature on the record, giving it some immersion and atmosphere as the features play in on the joke and give it some continuity.

The record starts off pretty strong, delivering some amusing lines and themes over some solid beats. As the album draws on things get a little stale, but it can be hard to stomach Cal for to long, especially as someone who doesn't listen to much comedy music. Its a difficult chemistry to achieve, matching good music with laughs but there defiantly moments where Fantano gets it right with some terrific lines "Got people calling me a parody, but no rapper compare to me" and "Iluminium rappers, plans get foiled". There's plenty of amusing lines throughout the record but rarely are they strung together through an entire track. The line "Rappers don't ride bikes, because they cant handle bars" could pass for a legitimate rap, reworded a little.

Behind the comedy the beats are pretty decent with the exception of one or two. Generally they have a modern sound with deep sub kicks, snappy snares and sharp hi hats. Makes for an enjoyable listen with Cal's inoffensive tone drifting into the background if your focusing on other things. Some of Cal's best moments come from his backup voice reassuring his raps and sometimes interacting with him directly, exchanging unusual dialog. The ending skit with Anthony and Cal is hilarious with Anthony talking to the listeners while Cal groans and cry's in the backdrop. Its a comedy record, we can't take it to seriously but it could of delivered more. A couple of tracks deliver humor you can return to over and over but the most if is mildly amusing and doesn't have much replay value.

Favorite Songs: Hot Dinner, Cocoa, I Need My Friends

Rating: 4/10