REVIEW: Tripping Daisy, i am an ELASTIC FIRECRACKER (Island)

- Jon Steltenpohl

Tripping Daisy weaves their own alterna-rock path like a weary prisoner of war from the battle for college radio and MTV dominance. The band sounds a bit like Public Image Limited morphed into Jane's Addiction. There is a tension between the wacky, high-pitched vocals of Lydon and the bombastic dreamland of Farrell. As the tape rolls from side A to B, the songs veer from a guitar drenched haze to a hyper pop bomb with distorted vocals.

On first listen, i am an ELASTIC FIRECRACKER is a bit of a let-down. When Island snatched 1993's Bill and released it to a nationwide audience, there was a bit of excitement about the album. Self-released albums don't get much better than Bill, and many people were on the edge of their seat waiting for the next Tripping Daisy album. Were they going to be the next Jane's Addiction or Alice in Chains?

Well, that hope wears off after a few listens and the true nature of Tripping Daisy comes through. Instead of an intense mind-blowing experience, i am an ELASTIC FIRECRACKER is a collection of semi-serious songs that are a good listen. Unlike certain bands where popping neck veins are displayed like a badge of honor, Tripping Daisy takes themselves with a grain of salt. The album is the perfect alternative for when your tape deck begs for something lighter.

i am an ELASTIC FIRECRACKER has some good and bad moments. On the bad side, "Same Dress New Day" starts off like a Bauhaus song with a spidery guitar, but it fizzles into an outtake from a session with the ghost of Hank Williams, Sr. jamming with The Cure. "Trip Along" would be an excellent song, but the title and the melody conjure images of "Trip Away" by Jane's Addiction. It's not a rip-off, but the likeness nags too much to fully enjoy the song.

On the good end, "I Got A Girl" is Tripping Daisy's answer to Weezer and Pavement. It's a bubble-gum alterna-pop song for the nineties about the girl "who's always bitchin' at me". Expect "I Got A Girl" to be the summer make-out song for co-dependent alterna-couples across the country.

The nine minute opus, "Prick", really shows a band in full form. It's the one song where Tripping Daisy straightens up their jackets, takes the gum out of their mouths, and hits you square between the ears. "Prick" stands alone as an example that Tripping Daisy has the ability to get dark and serious if necessary. But, just to make sure you leave on a good note, they close the album with the appropriately titled "High".

i am an ELASTIC FIRECRACKER is about as good as Bill. Tripping Daisy is still a young band, and they are still finding their sound. One minute the songs are serious and the next joking. This gives the album a rough finish that really doesn't allow you to fall into a groove. But, despite the bumpy ride, fans of Bill will find that the new Tripping Daisy is worth, um, the trip.