Vol. 3, Issue #1 January 11th - January 25th, 2008

CD Review: Pudding Attack -- Miniskirt Cash Machine
By: Graham Lee Brewer

It’s very rare that a group of musicians get together and create a modern throwback to the early psychedelic and post-punk movements that left a rich, sticky heat on turntables from the late ‘60s to the early ‘80s. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great when a new, young band can pull it off, i.e. The Black Lips and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, but it’s not an easy task to execute. Many, many bands draw heavily from the pools of influence left behind from the bands of that period, but when a band relies almost exclusively on those deep, foggy pools for sustenance the result is more often than not malnutrition.

While Oklahoma City outfit Pudding Attack find creative ways to sprinkle electronic spontaneity into the mix on their new album Miniskirt Cash Machine they still don’t manage to create anything notably unique or impressive. Miniskirt begins with a trio of drums, bass and piano working their jazzy magic, and you half expect the lounge-destined voice of Richard Cheese to waft silkily through your speakers. Instead the song ends abruptly and the Puddin’ revert (quite literally) to the angular, crunchy guitars, fuzzy keys and stammering lyrics and rhythms of the retro-synth they love so much in song “Model.” This particular song is the stand-out track of the album, with its gritty bass, very agreeable horn accompaniment and frontman Chris Anderson’s oddly invigorating delivery of the word ‘babe.’

The album continues to pile on copious amounts of dirty fuzz-laden vocals and steadily pounding and monotonous drumming mixed with the occasional electronic interlude almost to the end. Miniskirt all but avoids my attention until track 12, “All The Pretty Colours,” a misty ballad that actually turns out to be a somewhat original blend of punk and psychedelia.

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