Tijuana
Strip Club - Sparklers and Bottlerockets
By Tim Byrnes
Would
You Like Some Whine With That Cheese?
Tijuana
Strip Club - Sparklers and Bottlerockets
Label: Foggydog
Records
Rating:
First off I have to report that this project,
basically a studio creation by Gary Myrick (late of the Mirrors) and one
Randy Cordero, a leading club figure in San Francisco due to his fronting
the Neil Diamond tribute band Super Diamond under the name Surreal Neil,
doesn't have an original bone in it's body. Now, if you are a fan of this
band (which I can understand, it's just not my cup of meat) or a personal
friend of Mr Cordero, please don't post comments questioning my sexuality
(which is none of yr business) or calling me stupid or uninformed or just
plain wrong. It's just an opinion I'm expressing here. I find it very doubtful
that my little review is going to hurt this band's' chances for success,
but the fact remains that this CD doesn't have an original bone in it's
body.
To wit: Every cut features a cut and paste
mélange of alt.country. Folk and electronica (and by electronica
I mean scattered, diffident bleeps and whooshes, hard stereo panning that
simply bleep and whoosh and pan hard then just sit there, almost like they're
saying See how modern I am! I have bleeps and whooshes and hard pans!),
every pseudo-cryptic lyric is exhaled in a world-weary Leonard Cohen impersonation,
a rung up the stylistic ladder from Mr Diamond, perhaps, but an imitation
none the less and every minute of this CD comes across as some kind of
High School Science Fair Project determined to find out what Songs From
a Room' would sound like were it produced by David Lynch. Which, come to
think of it, probably wouldn't be a bad CD, but to my mind, this ain't
it.
Cordero, with his poet-in-a-rumpled-suit
vocal persona, drips heavy irony vibes across track after track (15 in
all, 14 too many) of cheesy 2 chord ersatz lounge vamps, calling to mind
Tiki Room hipsters all quoting Kerouac and sipping on Zinfandel while bemoaning
the cause of the poor. FALSE, FALSE, POSER FALSE! This record is all (appropriated)
style with absolutely no substance whatsoever, unless pristine production
in the service of bad Leonard Cohen impersonations constitutes substance.
I expect that this CD will draw comparisons to people like Mark Eitzel,
Tom Waits, maybe even Johnny Cash now that he's hip again (not that he
wasn't always hip. I don't mind p***ing off TSC fans, but Johnny Cash fans,
that's a different story!) as well as Leonard Cohen, but to my hearing,
having a deep voice don't make you Lou Reed, if you know what I mean.
Sparklers and Bottlerockets is little more
than half a serving of Leonard Cohen Lite, dressed up in darkness from
selections from the Pastiche Line at the Death Rock section of your local
Gap. Which, I expect, means that this CD will sell skidillions of copies
to High School kids who write their bad poetry in red ink on black pages
in journals they leave out for Mom and Dad to read and when Mom and Dad
do, complain about having no privacy. A CD that shoots for sadly majestic
and attains only sad
Posted by tim:
Jamie, The 'questioning my sexuality' comment above refers only to the kind of response that comes be expected after a less than stellar review. These comments usually go something like 'Die Die Die you Faggot, Die! and appear all too frequently at this site, although so far not to anything I've written (yet). I think that racism, sexism and homophobia have no use in this world, let alone as a response to something as trivial as a record review. I'm glad you liked this CD (and how was Hitchcock, BTW? Haven't seen him since Irving Plaza, 198something. The guy rules.)just because I didn't doesn't invalidate your opinion, just as your take on TSC doesn't invalidate mine. Again, no sexism or racism required or encouraged. Sometimes it really is 'only rock and roll'. Thanks for reading, tim
Posted by Jamie:
Just to clarify: I am a guy; I saw this band live as an opener for Robyn Hitchcock and thought they kicked ass onstage; I bought the cd and I like it, though it is one you have to listen to more than once or twice before it really grows on you (like almost all of my favorite cds); I came across this site when I did a search on the band to find out more info. And I'm not a fag.
Posted by Lori:
I have to say I like Tijuana Strip Club. I'm not going compare them to or drag in other artists names. I liked the music enough to buy a CD and I don't buy many CD's.. It's ok not to like them but WOW, that was harsh. But then to each their own. I for one will continue to enjoy the CD.
Posted by tim:
Thanks Scott. Maybe I should just write that everything is brilliant. God that's a word that gets thrown around a lot. I stand by my opinion that this work is highly derivative and take nothing away from fans of this music. It's just that I've heard it all before, crafted by hands assured by the soul of their own creation and not Cohen, Waits Eitzel etc. My 'cup of meat' (a Dylan quote actually, so, yeah I steal, too) is any music, be it soft or hard rock by male or female artists that rings true to me. This one didn't. No sexism required or encouraged. Peace, out, tim
Posted by Scott:
I get it you have to be a chick to get this band. Maybe that's what he meant by meat. Good call again Tim, keep givin' em hell! Now girlies go read Tim's excellent take on Daniel Johnston, a real artist I just discovered courtesy of our punk rock blues friend Mr. Brynes.
Posted by Tina:
I think Mr. Byrnes is way off. He commented about Tijuana Strip Club not being his 'cup of meat.' Perhaps he should stick with the music that is his 'cup of meat' (whatever THAT means) because it seems to me that reviewing a type of music that you already don't like, puts you in a biased position. That's just not fair to the artist(s) who work so hard.
I think this CD is pretty incredible and it's currently on my personal playlist. I'm that Mr. Byrnes doesn't give a rat's ass about that, but that's okay, because I pretty much feel the same about his review.
I guess we're even, huh?
:-)
Posted by Melissa:
Hey, I saw them at Bimbos too! I went to see Super Diamond and thought TSC was so great I bought their cd. I also think pretty much the opposite of the above review. The cd has become a main part of my collection and I think the vocals and accompaniment are freakin awesome. I wouldn't use the word "poser" anywhere near this cd. But hey, to each there own.
Posted by Kelly:
I saw them at Bimbo's in SF this summer and I thought they were great. It's one of two CD's I can actually play when I want to "hear" the music and not just have something on in the background. TSC has a fabulous sound and I definitely hope to see them on many more stages!
Posted by Jamie:
Well, I saw this band a few months ago open for Robyn Hitchcock. I was actually thinking pretty much the opposite of what this review says. I thought it was original and ecclectic. So much so that I bought the cd. Definitely one of the better opening bands I've ever seen.
