Mikey & His Shame’s debut Thing Things was full of twisted, energetic tunes that seemed as tongue-in-cheek as they were legitimately experimental. Haphazard drums keep the listener guessing as to just where any given track would go next before giving way, as they did halfway through “Purposes Are Weirder,” the album’s opening track, into a frenzied pop romp. Lyrically, the record’s second track was full of vibrant images that toed the line between angst and comedy: “Tear down a condo, and build up a new one that’s taller ‘cause I want to open a chain and put you out of business, it’s true. I’m the mayor. I’ll sell you weed at the Orange Julius at the mall — it’s paprika!”
So it came as a surprise that “The Shame,” the track that opened **ahem*, seemed to be much more seriously channeling its energy into more straightforward quasi-punk rock. Thirty seconds in, the track morphs into a head-bopping garage-anthem that introduces the listener to lead singer Mikey Power’s inexplicably comical delivery. I envision Power sporting a wide, goofy grin while singing amid what’s essentially a punchy, rhythm-led good time.
One thing that’s evident on *ahem* is that the collection of tracks presented really are more serious than those on ***Thing Things. Not too serious, though. Even “I’m In Control Of My Alcohol Abuse” melts around itself, shifting rhythms and focus from an otherworldly intro to a straightforward and kind of dissonant pre-chorus before launching into a head-banging chant that’s catchy as hell. And then the fun really starts. At the four-minute mark, the track turns into a jam, more of a synthesis of well-aimed noise than any kind of harmony. Warbling distortion fades in and out over the droning bass notes and ever-insistent drumbeats. Feedback loops into itself endlessly. The bass drops out at some point and just as slyly comes back.
*ahem* proved to be much more experimental than I expected it to, and while the disintegration of “I’m In Control Of My Alcohol Abuse” suggests that whoever the “I” refers to is anything but, there’s something about the four tracks that seem to draw me back to the record all over again.
The key lies, perhaps, in the appeal of “Our Band Could Be Your Wife.” The title suggests that Mikey & His Shame aren’t being wholeheartedly serious. It’s perhaps tongue-in-cheek, and the track starts with a kind of slightly prog-rock-tinged intro that backs up that notion. But then we’re hit with one of the most unapologetically angst-ridden instrumental sections while Mikey Power screams out “This band is your band! Your band is my band! My band is your band! This band is your band!” and then, at one point, what sounds like “These pants are your pants!”
I don’t know if I’ve ever come across a band that’s managed to pry such genuinely amused grins from me all while compelling me to dance or jump or move in time with its decidedly tense structure.
I can’t tell if this band is being intentionally funny or not.
But they are rad as hell.
Even the cover of the record is kind of funny.
