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The Midgetmen excel at pop-punk mayhem, beer-soaked bursts ripe with unapologetic arrested development: as they declare in “Three Chords and a Cloud of Dust”: “Growing up is overrated!” The group’s third album follows through on the sentiment, raucous and uninhibited. But Showpony also proves their most melodically controlled and, dare we say, mature offering yet. There is still plenty of rambunctious absurdity – a song like the 55 second shot “Bunk Sock” couldn’t be more adolescent, or irresistible behind the garage swagger and “Blitzkrieg Bop” riffs, as the quartet paws, “I wanna take you out to the movies, bring ya home and play with those boobies tonight!” If the Midgetmen have built their reputation on those kind of declarations, however, it only makes sincere moments like “Trickle Down” stand out that much more.
You’d be forgiven for assuming that a Midgetmen song called “Trickle Down” had more venereal connotations, but the tune is actually a socially charged anthem that upends John Cougar Mellencamp’s nostalgic Eighties heartland vision, opening with the seething reality check, “Jack and Diane are selling trucks, they’re sucking down the tasty sleaze, American values in American heartland, little pink houses splattered with their blood.” The “wahhing” background vocals on the chorus only accentuate the tension. Songs like “Lethargy” somewhat follow suit, though less directly, and set a context for the Midgetmen’s playfulness with an underlying seriousness reminiscent of the Ramones or early Green Day couching their ennui-ed outrage in puerile irreverence.
Equally impressive on the album are “Six Month Vacation,” a moody balance between big guitars and subtle melody, the bass thump of “Euphoric Doom,” and the exceptional closer “Words.” Marc Perlman’s sing-shouting throughout the album nods most effectively toward classic Offspring or Goldfinger on songs such as “CCC Deville” and “Jimmy & Skippy,” though at times cuts intentionally dry, and his moments of subdued singing offer some of the finest contrast in the band’s material. It’s the guitars that drive the charge, though, “Strap It On” rides a wave of distortion and wah wah over Justin Petro’s explosive drums, before dipping hazily soft and roaring back. The guitars and drums even lift the more ridiculous moments like “Moo Cow & Horsies” to solid songs that hold their own.
The Midgetmen cover a lot of territory across the 16 songs and 40 minutes on Showpony, but for a band that’s been rocking solidly for almost 7 years now, it feels like they’ve finally worked up to a new level without compromising their roots. That artistic breakthrough is an impressive moment for any band, and one that marks Showpony as some of the Midgetmen’s best work.
- Doug Freeman
Mp3s from Showpony:
Trickle Down
Six Month Vacation
Websites:
www.themidgetmen.com
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