Blues Explosion: Plastic Fang : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

In the beginning, the blues explosion tore a page from the Captain Beefheart method of blues electrocution and threw in nods to hip-hop and Sonic Youth. Now, on their ninth album, the band has ditched the noise and come back with a straightforward homage to classic rock and werewolves. The title of "She Said" invokes the Beatles' "She Said She Said," but the cartoonish lyrics tell a scarifying tale about getting hairy and howling at the moon; "Money Rock 'N' Roll" boogies hard, like ZZ Top with bigger smirks, while "Hold On," with special guest Dr. John, comes off like a laid-back, honking take on the Stones' "Midnight Rambler," with spiky guitars and a deliciously poky tempo. Like a swamp creature impersonating Elvis, Jon Spencer yelps, growls and hillbilly-hollers a plethora of great lines, the best of which are masterpieces of garbage-rock goofiness, such as the moment during "The Midnight Creep" when he rhymes "baby" with the line "I'm gonna stick ma head in gravy." Spencer is best known for persistently proclaiming the combustibility of his own band, but here, the cry "rock & roll!" comes up more often -- it's part of two song titles and numerous free-floating expletives. All these rock laughs would be pure parody if the Blues Explosion's riffs weren't so dementedly chicken-fried and funky. The unbelievable truth is that Plastic Fang stomps like the devil in blue dress slacks.

PAT BLASHILL
(RS 894 - April 25, 2002)