Regurgitator -SuperHappyFunTimesFriends

Wed 24th Aug, 2011 in Music Reviews

Brisvegas band Regurgitator return with their seventh album, SuperHappyFunTimesFriends, a solid effort defined by its blend of rock and electronica. It’s an entertaining affair, the band boasting a veritable feast of ideas this time around.

Opener One Day appears lost to morbid resignation. “One day, we’re all going to die,” muses front man Quan Yeomans, a miserable mentor. The calm melancholy soon ignites into a cymbal-crashing rocker, however, a scintillating celebration quickly taking precedent. “Now we’re alive!” Yeomans declares gleefully, a short, sharp injection of optimism defining the album’s early stages. In an amusing juxtaposition, its follow-up – titled Game Over Dude – depicts the loss of 8-bit life, the blistering episode done and dusted in just 21 seconds. Though it’s a bit of fun, the short interlude sheds some light on the record’s one minor blemish.

It’s easy to feel cheated when the likes of Game Over Dude and D.M.T. 4 2 fit out the track-listing, the former an especially culpable inclusion. As an instrumental with no definitive direction, the song smacks of complacency. The same could be said for Devil Spell, another instrumental diversion that should have either been developed or left on the cutting room floor. These futile distractions serve little purpose in the long run, especially given the fact that each of Regurgitator’s finest moments across this record feature some semblance of lyrical craft. The band often achieve their best in creating infectious rock songs, not compositions.

That’s not to say Regurgitator’s talents are limited exclusively to the execution of uptempo rockers, however brilliant songs such as the passionately defiant Uncontactable and the stop-start gem No Show may be. The third track, All Fake Everything, almost steals the whole show. Beginning with a Ben-Folds-esque piano ballad, the supposed sob-story of a rap artist is showcased with masterful satire. A ferocious record-scratch shatters the serenity, prompting a full-blown rap, though one with the same venomous cynicism that defined the song’s first third. “Do you like my grand facade? All fake everything,” boasts the chorus, critical of sympathy where artists are concerned. The song illustrates well the sheer variety present across SuperHappyFunTimesFriends, with everything from quaint acoustic fare – as heard in the title track – to glistening retro synth-rockers on show. With fourteen tracks running at just thirty-two minutes, it’s a jam-packed album. You won’t ever feel bored, as SuperHappyFunTimesFriends always has a few tricks up its sleeve to keep you on your toes.

Regurgitator’s seventh album successfully reiterates the distinct allure of the band over their lengthy career, sporting a spate of indie-rock both deftly infectious and terrific fun.