Monday, August 11, 2008

Dieselhed - Forklift Test

(Amarillo, 1993)

Kinda the non-jokers in the Amarillo pack,
Dieselhed makes it happen with concise, varied-tempo twang-punk that shitkicks quite amiably, even when nudging up against skronky abrasiveness on “A-1 Steak Sauce.” Is it all a genre parody/tribute along the lines of labelmates Bon Larvis Boogie Woogie Blues Band or The New Session People? Dunno. Whole thing sounds earnest enough (that fiddle and them harmonies are AOK to these ears), and they did stick it out into the 2000s, so I suppose it was indeed a sincere attempt at a hep cowpoke rocker sound. Not that “authenticity” matters if the songs are good – and these are! Or are at least DECENT! – but within the labyrinthine laffworld of Amarillo Records it’s always unclear exactly who the joke is on, so asking questions and taking nuttin at face value seems the healthy thing to do. Cuz not much else is going on tonight anyway, right? I mean, if I’m not thinking about THIS, I’ll be thinking deep thoughts about the Hollies’ transition to funk/disco. And that would get me all worked up. “Wiggle That Wotsit” indeed.

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