lambchops's Full Review: The Presidents Of The United States Of America by ...
Very patriotic. That's the only way that you could possibly describe the name of the band, Presidents of the United States of America. Unfortunately, that name is also very lenghthy. I'd prefer to call them the 'Presidents' or simply 'PUSA.' Anyway...
This, their major label debut, is a great introduction to the music of the Presidents. And, after only a few songs it becomes very apparent that they have a sense of humor. Many of the songs are clearly about, ahem, sex. That little dirty secret aside, here's some quick facts about the boys o' PUSA.
Chris Ballew (lead vocals, two string basitar), Dave Dederer (three-string guitbass, backing vocals), and Jason Finn (drums) formed PUSA in 1993 and quickly released their debut album on an indie label. Columbia Records quickly bought up the band and re-released the album on it's own label in 1995. I remember that year fondly. It was the year I graduated high school, the year I began college, and the year that I first heard the quirky tunes of the Presidents.
MTV apparently felt it their duty to pick up the infectious first single from PUSA entitled "Lump". Lump was a fun, fast thinking and odd sort of rock-alternative song. It was bordering on They Might Be Giants territory to be very honest. Of course, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing considering the Presidents were formed during the grunge revolution and they became popular at a time when bands still took themselves too serious. Songs like "Lump" were wonderfully refreshing.
"Kitty" was the band's second single. This song was less about having fun than singing about a cat. Yeah, we'll say that the song was about a sweet little kitty cat. The song is actually introduced by meows. Yup you read that correctly. The band meows in their song. The lyrics are absolutely hilarious. As I said earlier, there's no question that the Presidents intend on making you both laugh and wonder exactly what the band is specifically talking about. Here's a sample from "Kitty..."
He needs some pettin' and lovin' on his head
He needs some pettin' and lovin' on his rain-soaked hide
He's circlin' around my ankle
He's circlin' around my ankle
He needs some pettin' and lovin' on his hide
Hey Kitty won't you come inside
Ballew is an interesting fellow. He definitely doesn't have a traditional rock voice, but in an age when "alternative" music is supposed to be the in thing, the music that PUSA makes seems very appropriate. The band's third single was "Peaches". Again, I am forced to question what exactly the subject matter is in this song...I suspect that it really has nothing to do with the fuzzy fruit. This song had by far the most memorable music video. It featured, get this, kung fu fighting. Why? It didn't have anything to do with the song...The song features Ballew with a twangy voice and twangy guitars to compliment him. Remember the line..."I'm movin' to the country, I'm gonna eat me a lot of peaches." Some of the verses border on the frantic, but overall it's a very entertaining song.
Other tracks of note are the quirky, odd songs "Little Dune Buggy." That track is sparse, yet fun to listen to. "Kick out the Jams" is a fast, loud song. It's probably the most "rock" of the entire album. Although, rock to PUSA is very unlike rock to many other bands. There are great, fast drums here and really fun guitars to compliment the odd lyrics as sung by the odd Ballew. I also have to love any song entitled "Naked and Famous." That one's a sparse, soft song with very rhythmic choruses. Because "Everybody wants to be just like me! I'm naked and famous! Even more intersting is the fact that they refer to "30-foot Smurfs."
If there is one specific word to describe the Presidents, I would have to say it would be FUN. Yup. The Presidents don't think they're too important. They don't take music too seriously. They have a sense of humor. They aren't intending on teaching a lesson nor corrupting the youth of America. No, no. They have a much more noble cause in mind. PUSA wants to entertain you.
The boys released a second album in 1996 to less success on the charts and on MTV. The band officially broke up when Ballew decided that he would do the right thing...spend some more time with his family. Somehow, they did manage to reassemble and release a third album entitled "Freaked Out and Small." Of course, they never regained their popularity. PUSA is a story of immense success on a first album. They had great promise, but the novelty of the act died away after the first album.
This is a fun album unlike any other I will review. It's not really my kind of music, but in all honesty it's very well worth your time. I have no doubt that you will enjoy this album if you are an "alternative" music fan. Of course, there is little music that actually fits in this category. PUSA resembles other pop-rock funny men. Have a sense of humor? Check out this 1995 album. I give it a very solid 4/5 stars.
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