dopple's Full Review: Shame-Based Man by Bruce McCulloch
I know I put his dark and serious nature in the 'con' column, but that's only because it's likely to throw off a few listeners of the album. Myself, it's the dark and serious thrown into the light and witty that makes me love SHAME-BASED MAN, and Mcculloch's humor in general. He's just as happy to leave you on an awkward and depressing note as he is an outright hilarious one, and it's perfect for an overly jaded, cynical person like myself who is a little too weirded out by blatant slapstick or obvious humor.
This album is likely to attract lots of Kids in the Hall fans, and it shouldn't disappoint. But really, there is only one "sketch" on the album - the second track, "Stalking". It's ok. The rest is Bruce's songs and commentary accompanied by music, with a few sketch-like interludes based around a radio call-in show. These are usually just introductions to the music, though.
But music & commentary is where Bruce shines.
Some of it is lifted directly off the show - such as "Doors Fan", which is a slightly augmented version of Bruce's part in a Kids in the Hall sketch of the same name. "Daves I Know" is a charming little song that Bruce made a video for, which appeared on the series. And "America", Bruce's little rant about his new country.
Most of it is new material though, and it's even better than the classics. The opening song, "Grade 8", about Bruce's high school drug use, is a great introduction to the funny but equally depressing social and personal comments that bleed through the rest of the album. "Al Miller" is a very cute and smile-inducing song about Bruce's friend, Al Miller. "Lift Me Up" is a sad song about a secret gay affair between a college-age kid and an old salesmen. "Our Love" is hilarious, as Bruce dreams up the most awful metephors for a loveless relationship ("our love is like taking lassie into the woods, removing her teeth with a hunting knife, and then shooting her in the head with a gun you and she built together."). "Not Happy" is a good song about his own depression. "Answering Machine" is a good stab at the way we alienate ourselves with technology (or am I reading too deep?). The jazzy "Daddy's On The Drink" is a song that most of us who grew up with alchoholic fathers can relate to (probably why we ended up so sarcastic, eh?). "Eraserhead" describes Bruce's annual, naked, drugged-out viewing of the classic film in lurid detail. And "When You're Fat" is just a jumpy, fun little song that, as usual, deals with a darker depression in a humerous way.
Aside from the music, you can listen to the funny rant on America I mentioned earlier, a nifty spoken-word piece about the rebellion of "40 Housewives", and the pyschotic rants of Bruce playing a perturbed radio caller ("Acid Radio", "Baby Jesus"). And he even gets almost completely irony-free on a track called "Vigil", where he describes being in Seattle the week of Kurt Cobain's death (the Kids in the Hall were playing a show there, and were even scheduled to meet Cobain before they heard the news).
Don't let my description fool you, this is a comedy album filled with lots of laughs. But then again, it defies the genre by being very smart and subtle - and replayable. The songs will keep you coming back - akin to Tenacious D or one of Frank Zappa's novelty efforts.
So if your a fan of Bruce or the Kids in the Hall, this is a must-purchase that you'll find yourself digging out a lot, from time to time.
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