“where, oh where, is the peep show?”
While listening to beginning of the better button by the Mink Lungs, these are the things I wrote in across the top of my paper: “Pop. Cheap Trick. Catchy safe guitar-tunes. Another in the line of hipster slick-sounding guitar bands. It sounds clean. Polished. There’s something in these songs, but they’re just not quite there yet. They are missing that spark.”
The first songs, “I Sell Love,” “Silent Sex,” “Watch Yourself,” and “Think of Me,” are nice songs; but they elicited the first comments I wrote. The songs just didn’t move me. They sounded like a lot of things I had heard before. On the cover of the CD is a preacher in a tent revival, and that is what the Mink Lungs were doing: preaching to the already converted. The music is safe pop.
Well, apparently it’s the second half of the CD I should have been listening to for enjoyment. Why bury their best stuff at the end?
When I reached “Synthesizer Baby,” “Widths&Lengths,” “Oscillator,” “Snail,” “Blue and Crème Car,” and “Peep Show,” the bottom of my paper became crowded with comments and excitement and my writing began crawling up the sides of the page. These songs all have a taste of what’s to come: imagination, creativity, an edge, quirky, original, entertaining, and most important, moving. The way the band played on these songs told me they liked playing these songs. That’s what I missed in the beginning of the CD: emotion.
“Synthesizer Baby” is a mixed-up noisefest that maintains its character with drive. “Widths&Lengths” is like a CD on fast-forward, an interesting collection of speeded-up samples of differing styles, ending in a slow blues riff. It works. “Oscillator” has raw energy, reminiscent of the Smashing Pumpkins or Breeders. “Snail” is a folksy twangy tune about being in a rock band, and builds beautifully. “Peep Show” is fabulous and real.
There were still some foul-ups in the second half, and they seemed to center around ballady-type tunes (“Remaining Loyal,” “Who Loves You Dear?”). “Demon Powers of Hell” is a valiant attempt to be extremely quirky and original, but it is a lost cause.
There has been a lot of hype about Mink Lungs. The Mink Lungs are a talented band. They’ll make good albums, but I think there’s a really great one still waiting somewhere in there. the better button starts as a pop album, and ends with some gems. I hope they pay attention to how those came about. And please, enjoy the music.