Sometimes I wonder about what is really "good" and "bad." Sometimes "bad" is good, and sometimes "good" is bad. That, of course, is obvious. But what nags me is when I hear music so obviously "bad" that I can't tell if the band is making a funny, ironic joke, or if they just suck. Knodel describe themselves as: "Energy and life. Knodel is Energy. Energy is Knodel." I think I hear energy in their music, but that might just be the whirring keyboard drone.

Featuring distorted guitar and muffled lyrics wrapped in a shiny new-age shell with synth melodies straight outta the Reagan administration, Knodel truly "emulate[s] the Phil Collins doctrine"-- in the sense that they emulate the vapid programming that was Phil's signature, sure; in the sense that it should be called "doctrine," no. Yet, the more I listen, the more convinced I am that they are indeed making a funny, ironic joke. One sure sign comes with "Do It," a song so monumentally goofy that one could imagine it on Frank Zappa record (or at least on one of Dweezil Zappa's Z albums.)

It doesn't let up, either. There's slapdash vocoder effects, Casio beats and assmeat vocals throughout, challenging you to hate them. It's like a fusion of all of the stupidest moments in '80s music, including the punk moments-- the Dead Milkmen moments. The voice repeating, "Out-fucking-rageous!/ Let's break the rules, y'all," in "OFR" tells me that perhaps Knodel is making a higher statement-- a commentary on the lack of depth in music.

That may be so, but what about your bottom line? Is it ironically funny "good" or stupidly retro "bad?" Well, let me put it this way: Knodel is for those of you out there that get into Weird Al, Zappa and Ween-- goofy motherfuckers. Yeah, I used to have a collection like that. And sure, it was an embarrassment at parties, but I took such delight in "Why Does It Hurt When I Pee" back when I imagined having enough sex to catch an STD. Anyway, you know who you are. You ensconce yourself in the goofy, stupid and most obtuse of clichés. This is right up your alley. The rest of you already stopped reading at "Phil Collins" so I will finish now.

-James P. Wisdom