The Frogs
Starjob
[Scratchie/Mercury]
Rating: 8.6
These guys have offensive lyrics down to an artform, which, on Starjob,
is fun for like a minute. Earlier releases have revealed more fun with
scary lyrics than this EP demonstrates. What makes Starjob
work, though, is that every single track is served up with unforgettable
music that will be stuck in your head for the rest of your life.
"Raped" is probably the best serving-up of shock value on the record
with lyrics so sinfully wrong you can hardly believe it. ("Everyone's
making a big deal over the fact / That I raped someone / What's
the crime? / I had fun.") And that's pretty sane compared to what
one can only imagine was recorded during their as- yet- unreleased
Racially Yours sessions. What you might not imagine about
"Raped," is that it's backed by a strumming acoustic so
memorable, you will take it with you to the grave.
These songs, while they're lyrically less entertaining than older
Frogwork, throw out some of the best music of the year. Whether
you're digging "Lord Grunge," "I Only Play for Money" or the
brilliant "Stargirl," you can count on getting happy. And, hey,
produced by Johnny Goat (aka Billy Corgan). Can't go wrong.
-Ryan Schreiber