Okay, first the bad news: There's absolutely nothing here that you haven't heard from the Cows before, in terms of originality or style.

Now the good news: There's nothing wrong with that. While nothing's gonna top 1992's Cunning Stunts, Shannon Selberg and his fellow fuckers do a job of building a nest in its shade. New drummer Freddy Votel is rock solid, Selberg's pipes and bugle are in fine form, and how about Thor and Kevin? These guys haven't mellowed a bit and me and Cows fans all over salute them for it.

The leadoff track, "Divorcee' Moore", is vintage Cows: "Every time we visit it seems I make her mom cry / And her brothers want to beat me / and her father's gun is not for show." Ain't that a pickle? The beauty of the Cows' universe is you're not sure where reality takes a holiday and when the vacation ends. Well, if you need me, I'll be vacationing down in the "Tropic of Cancelled."

-Jason Josephes