Music Review: Cretin Stompers-Looking Forward To Being Attacked

     Here's another album from a supergroup trio. These guys have played in no-less-than 5 other bands combined. They're also each from a different city. We have Los Angeles, Memphis, and Brooklyn represented. Memphis is doubly rep-d 'cause the cover image is by the renowned rock collaborator, William Eggelston.

     The combination of the band's name and this album title strongly suggests a war of some kind or at least a predilection for conflict. The lyrics align smoothly with stomping and attacks. Words that're sung on this album include: testicles, razor blades, blood, flesh, evil, skull, daggers, black, storm, death, drowning, swallow, cum, demons, bleeding, splintered glass, and murder. Pretty harrowing imagery and then "she lost her coupons at the grocery check out" is thrown-in for good measure towards the end on 'Industro'.

     Though the words are dark, the music half-way leans towards that of slack-rock or indie-pop. Seven of the fifteen tracks are played mid-tempo, almost two-step. This is a departure from the normally aggressive nature of most bands on the Hozac roster. The only other labelmates I can think of that share Cretin Stompers' willingness to slow things down are Radar Eyes and Ruined Fortune. 

     A modulator is used on the vast majority of these tracks to send the vocals into heavenly Sigur Ros range. This is the strongest stylistic element the band employs, giving the tunes a mystical, nymph-like quality. I honestly can't tell if a drum machine is also used on most tracks or if that's also just a synthetically-produced sound. 

     'Cowboy From Mars' is a track that really stands-out here. I'm not sure if it really belongs on this album. It's played very cocky, massively, quasi-southern, like that of bad classic rock (.38 Special or Bad Company), even beginning with the lyric, "Georgia was a sweetheart...".

     Overall, I really dig 'Looking Forward To Being Attacked'. It's strange and varied and wondrous. There most likely won't be another album quit like it this year and that's commendable.

                                                                                                                           The Verdict: 4 Bedpans