This is the latest project from Stan Ridgeway, formerly with Wall of Voodoo. Joined in the studio by Pietra Wexstun and Ivan Knight, it has everything that a good album should contain; chaos/noise, pop melodies, strange storytelling, and atmosphere. It opens with twisted blues, "Back Towards Diamond Bar" about driving with "a trunk of sin..." and ends with the Brian Eno/David Byrne inspired groove about a "Big American Problem".
In between is a noir soundtrack about the bottom of society. Stan's mix of nursery rhymes gone bad in "Bel Air Blues", his twisted tale about criminal losers in "New Blue Mercedes" and his take on sing-a-song-of- six-pence in "My Exclusive Sex Club" - whose lyrics include "will bake a dog and put it in a pie/ when the pie was open/ the dog began to bark..." all add up to an amazing album. By the time "Mr. Smith" hit the laser it seemed like it was about 3 am and the party was still rolling strong> Play this one back-to-back with 900 Ft. Jesus' Welcome To My Dream.
This appears to be strictly a studio project, so I doubt if it'll be performed live. This is too bad as Ridgway's Drywall project is definitely the best work he's done to date, including his days with Wall of Voodoo). Stan has skillfully created a bleak, bitter, hopeless, dangerous world; a world I wouldn't want to live in, but one I really enjoy listening to.
