1980 Housekeeping LISTENING POST DISCOVERY
by Robert Sliger
Drastic Measures
Drastic Measures
Genre: Art Pop
Rating: 4 out of 5
Highlights:
Flowers
TNT ("Don't play with TNT. Play with meeeee!")
The Teddy Bear Song (yes, THAT teddy bear song!)
I can see why this Toronto, Canada-based band never made it to the big time. Too odd for mainstream radio and way too musical theater for first-and-new wavers.
And that’s a shame.
At turns psychedelic, vaudeville, and post-punk (before that was a thing), this is an unexpected treat. Hooky enough to grab the ear and strange enough to keep us guessing what’s coming next, I was constantly engaged during it’s short (36 minute) run time. This is the anarchic playfulness of XTC combined with the oddball charisma of the Sparks brothers.
Singer Tony Malone’s delivers his offbeat lyrics and melodies with a lively combination of Bryan Ferry’s effete croon and Stan Ridgeway’s snarky enthusiasm. There’s also a touch of Donovan and a healthy shake of what would become the Dukes of Stratosphere in both the writing and performance.
This is a weird, bouncy, joyfully outsider record that sold dismally (7000 unit, according to Michael Panontin on Canuckistanmusic.com. Also in his writeup is this quote from Malone: "I told a young friend once that I wished I'd been born twenty years later, and he said, 'Everyone is writing weird pop songs now - you'd be huge!'. We were hacking out a path that others could follow. But it was lonely and everyone's dreams got dashed.” A prescient comment, for sure. Cake, Weezer,
Seek this one out, guys. Open-minded listeners will find unexpected surprises in every tune: odd key changes, thoughtfully arranged with unique appropriations of instruments, and a winking silliness in the lyrics. The quartet’s gung-ho delivery and total commitment of purpose makes this one hell of a sleeper. Don’t sleep on it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX5zw-Wm7XQ
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