Record Reviews

The Recliners

Raw Fish (Minnow)

This joke should be old by now, right? The whole swingers thing has long since passed. Must have something to do with the fact that when you step outside, it's really the Seventies all over again. No, this shouldn't really be funny anymore, but almost inexplicably, it still is. From the fromage-laden lounge horns on the opening riff of Loverboy's "Working for the Weekend" to the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" ending tacked on a velvet version of the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the U.K.," there continues to be something brilliantly appealing about the Recliners' formula. Part of it is the song selections themselves. "Welcome to the Jungle" simply shouldn't be bubble machine fodder, but the arrangement is perfectly disarming and far enough off Gun 'N' Roses'original that the song works both as a rip-off and as a piece of quality schmaltz in and of itself. Much the same could be said about Garbage's "Only Happy When it Rains" as it's delivered with the perfect combination of kitsch and croon by singer Neal Mehta. Fans of the departed Mr. Show might be bummed to find out that "Sushi Bar" isn't an ultra-obscure nod to Li'l Davey Cross, but an original that, while almost annoying, still has a good hook. Raw Fish: Good for a laugh, and after you're done, you still can swing to it, baby.