Record Label: World’s Fair
Genre: Punk
Band Link: link
Buy on Amazon.com link

I usually don’t read press kits, but this one saved my ass. My original review went something like this:

“This simplistic, sloppy punk/post-punk band has a great garagey, fuzzed-out sound. The drumming often sounds like cardboard boxes and trashcan lids; the guitar amps sound homemade and underwater. But in a good way. The band also incorporates dated-sounding samples, record scratching, tinny horns, echo effects, casio effects, and other sounds to give them a weird, faded, deadened factory-like noise feel that works for them. The vocals, though… well, the singer uses effects and distortion to sound like a 10-year-old on a bullhorn. At first, it was interesting and reminded me of Japanese noise bands who add distorted babytalk voices, but it gets old quickly. The lyrics are also horrendous – simplistic to the point of retarded with cheesy lines you could hear a mile away.”

At that point, I looked over at the press release and discovered that the band members ARE 10-years old. Wow.

So that explains the vocals and lyrics and I have more respect for the accomplishments on the album. I mean, they’ve clearly had a lot of help, but they’re still the coolest kids since Li’l GNR. When I was 10, the only things I did were watch tv and clog up the toilet.

But some things don’t ring true. Their political lyrics sound like an adult wrote them for a child. “We didn’t make the neutron bomb / We didn’t start Vietnam” – terrible lyrics, sure, but what 10-year-old talks about Vietnam? Same thing with songs about DJ’s, disco, and “stickin’ it to the man.” Unless these kids time traveled from the 70s, they should have no idea what any of those things are. And after reading up on Prussian Blue (a duo of pre-teen girls who, at the indoctrination of their insane mother, sing about white power and racial cleansing), I find it unsettling when children, who may not be mature enough to understand politics, are used in such a way. Obviously, TMOT are far on the other side of the spectrum, but there’s still something distasteful about it. I like them more when they stick to what they know, as on “Tooty Frooty.”

Although clearly contrived and lyrically strange, I still liked this album a lot. Now that I know the singers are prepubescent, the vocals make sense and are kind of fun. This album also features a lot of interesting cameos, like Kimya Dawson (Moldy Peaches), Fred Schneider, Karen O, and possibly the coolest – Gibby Haynes. But most importantly, the music is wonderfully trashy/garagey and does simple in a way that’s still good. That, and not the lyrics, elevates the band above dopey novelty act.

Bottom Line:
Notable Tracks: Hologram World, Trendsetter, Book Song
Overall Rating: