HIROSHIMA YEAH, Issue #88, June 2012
Eschewing his usual full-colour covers for a bleak, Kafka-esque photocopied job (in case you haven´t noticed we ARE in a recession…) this strangely-titled new 13-track CDR from Chicago home taper Dan Susnara kicks off in fine style with “Enviroloop”, a Nurse With Wound-esque oddstrumental that mutates from scratchy lo-fi into quirky funk. “Baby´s So Haunted” is a tale of drug-induced paranoia set against a backdrop of heavy guitars with a serene mid-section that is the calm before the sonic storm of the riff-laden coda. “Make My Mark” is pure ´60s psych/garage with a very early Stones feel about it; you can picture Brian Jones grooving out on this one. I particularly like the line “I’m on vampire hours, girl”. Very cool! “Games” is not a Hüsker Dü cover, but a new-wavey tune with a jaunty swing/jazz-type ending that actually made me laugh out loud! “Enormous” has a sedate pace and utterly superb, poetic lyrics which reach the conclusion that “this is a lie”… I´m not sure what any of it MEANS but it´s very affecting nonetheless. “All Told” has more great lyrics—“Like the freaks we are, mashed, tossed together / Locked outside of everybody else´s world” and “In your head, it rains like Scotland”. HA! (As I write this review, it actually IS raining…)—and an anthemic message that may just be of some comfort the next time I´m feeling despondent: “…After all your words and chords and poetry take their shape… Now finish up the victory halfway won.” Great! “Ouisich” (? No, me neither…) has a jingly-jangly / Psychedelic Furs vibe to it (specifically “Pretty In Pink”) that belies the subject matter which, unless I´m mistaken (and I HAVE been mistaken on one or two occasions in the past, readers…) is about the Manson Family. Weird, ´cause I had a dream that I was at a Manson Family GIG only the other night! “People Who Work” simultaneously reminds me of both The Kinks and Daniel Johnston in its piano-driven exploration of the world of employment / unemployment and “Easeman” is just fucking awesome, all raging guitars and even more raging lyrics about the life of the artist versus the “good working folk” as well as drugs versus drink. “Somethin´ Gonna Give” continues the theme somewhat, only this time the scorching spotlight is turned upon those with the REAL power; “Gingrich: leprechaun fat fuck / Romney with your cash in Mit / Obama with your hands tied tight / None o´ you clowns doin´ shit.” Quite! “You a Sleaze” is a down ´n´ dirty rock ´n´ roll number with some cool horn-like keyboard stabs while “Tier 5” returns to the theme of Us versus Them— “I will piss in a plastic cup on one condition / All you right-wing blood suckers drink it down when I´m done”—in a truly brilliant acoustic protest song that may just be my favorite thing here! Final track “Gradual Symbols” is really three tracks in one, the first being another NWW-ish piece with samples taken from a radio show, the second the actual song (a wondrous tale of UFOs / aliens) and the third featuring samples of little old ME reading some shit I wrote that Dan then jumbled up to create a surreal ending to a really diverse, cool album. If you wanna get your hands on a copy (and why WOULDN´T you?!), it´s available for $10 or a trade from Dan.—Mark Ritchie