Fake Songs : Liam Lynch : Review : Rolling Stone

On his debut, the goofy Liam Lynch is angling to be indie rock's Ray Stevens -- or at least its "Weird Al" Yankovic. Fans of The Sifl and Olly Show will be familiar with the amusing "United States of Whatever," while others will only think they recognize "Fake Pixies Song," "Fake Depeche Mode Song" and "Fake David Bowie Song." Both satire and homage, the latter is a dead-on impersonation of Bowie circa Ziggy Stardust. Sample lyric: "I've got 3-D stereophonic laser love." But hearing twenty-one Lynch-penned songs back to back gets exhausting. In addition to gospel, disco and folk rock, Fake Songs contains android gangsta rap ("Rapbot"), power-pop pap ("S.O.S.") and ironic hard rock ("Rock & Roll Whore," a duet with Jack Black). Many years ago, Frank Zappa asked the question "Does Humor Belong in Music?" In the case of Lynch, the answer is still pending.

KEMBREW MCLEOD
(From RS 922, May 15, 2003)