tBS: Piece of Work review

[Torgo Sedler]

Here is a review of the new BRAIN SURGEONS album. Naturally, it contains
some serious spoilers. Please read at your own risk.
-----------------------------------------

"More of a Good Thing."

A Review of  "The Brain Surgeons- Piece of Work"

A quick glance at the cover of the 1999 BRAIN SURGEONS release "Piece of
Work"
shows a laughing man with 2 right hands. I find this appropriate in many
ways because
when compared to mainstream music of the 90's, the sound this band can
generate is
weird and unique enough to seem as if it came from someone with two right
hands. Make
that two very talented right hands that is. Two right hands of sheer genius.

"Piece of Work" is the fifth album from this distinctive band from New York,
and with
22 songs covering two CD's, it's their most ambitious undertaking yet. With
the first CD
labeled simply "Piece" and the second, naturally, called "Work", Albert
Bouchard and
company once again pull together a sound like no other band can. "Piece of
Work" is
produced by drummer/vocalist Albert Bouchard and vocalist Deborah Frost,
with
additional production and mix by Paul Special, the same evenly meshed set of
gears that
brought us the 1996 Brain Surgeons release "Box of Hammers" (this reviewer's
favorite
Brain Surgeons album........ so far).

The album kicks off with "Biloxi", an acappella tune that immediately brings
to mind the
band's cover of "Love Potion #9" off their first album, "Eponymous", from
1994. In fact,
the quirky and offbeat "Eponymous" album is what "Piece of Work" reminds me
of the
most. Over the years the band has touched upon many different musical
styles, proving
that they can cover the full music spectrum and twist any particular sound
to fit the Brain
Surgeons sound, and on "Piece of Work" they make this clearer yet. Upon its
ending,
"Biloxi" gives way to "Rain, Rain", a Frost vocaled song with a laid back
feel, and some
simply excellent bass playing by bassist David Hirschberg.

As with most albums by this band, there really seems to be no duplication
and rehashing
of sound. Where some bands unfortunately sound like they take track one and
rearrange a
few chords to make track two and so on, to the point where it all starts to
sound the same,
the Brain Surgeons always give us the impression that once they manipulate a
particular
sound and make it work brilliantly for them, that they are hungry to attempt
something
new. "Pink Roses" with its eerie tones and whisper-like hiss of Deb Frost
vocals, sounds
like something that might sound at home in the dream sequence of a David
Lynch movie,
and "Madame X Factor" has Albert Bouchard coming across like a bizarre cross
between
a sophisticated socialite and a James Bond villain. "On the Road (again)", a
song co-
penned by Richard Meltzer, features a killer sax and some funky keyboards,
both
integrated flawlessly with a driving guitar riff. Groundbreaking stuff from
this band, as
they prove once again that there is no convenient category for them to be
filed under.

So how's the guitar work on "Piece of Work"? Well, as with most Brain
Surgeons albums,
it is top shelf. Guitarists Peter Bohovesky and Billy Hilfiger show us that
while there are
some unusual sounds to be found on the album, that the guitar is the core of
the Brain
Surgeons sound. The ballad "More Than Truth" features a haunting and
memorable
guitar lead, and the carefree and amusing tune "Hot dog Man" features a
bluesy guitar set
to a fun and bouncy beat. "Swamp Thing" has the band experimenting with a
style that
puts me in mind of the southern band "Blackfoot", and "Last Angry Woman"
(which
could easily be the best track on the album, in my humble opinion of course)
has Deb
Frost showing why she loans out her voice on weekends to peel wallpaper.
Frost sounds
tough and snarly, which adds to the feel of this cool and crunchy song. Fans
of Lynyrd
Skynyrd will recognize the opening chords of their classic "Simple Man", but
aside from
the brilliant and moving guitar work, all similarities end there. While
musically the cover
is fairly straight forward, it's the unique presence of Bouchard/Frost
vocals that turn this
song 180 degrees, making it sound like nothing that could ever have come out
of a Van
Zant brother.

But that is just scratching the surface, making this a damn difficult review
to write.
Nothing short of sitting someone in a chair and just PLAYING each and every
track for
them would suffice as a review for this magnum opus of an album. Do you like
drum
solos? "Prince Albert in the Cans" has one. Do you like screechy guitars
that push your
stereo tweeters to the edge? "Rock and Roll is Dead" is just what you've
ordered.
Acoustic strumming? "Billy's song". A driving beat, and a jamming solo?
"Victory
Boulevard". No matter what order you place, the Brain Surgeons deliver it
piping hot to
your ravenous eardrums.

The album closes with a much different version of "Lady of the Harbor", a
song that
originally appeared in acoustic form on the band's limited (VERY limited)
cassette called
"Pull the plug", which is a nice closing to the album. The song eventually
goes into a
replay of the opening track "Biloxi", yet sounding as if it's being played
back on an old
scratched and tinny vinyl recording with very little sound depth, and deeply
worn
grooves. The album goes full circle, and in the end the Surgeons have
impressed the hell
right out of me, once again.

As the decade known as the 90s draws to a rapid close, one can only wonder
what kind of
music will typify the decade that is rushing up to meet us. New sounds and
new styles
(the two seem to go hand in hand in these MTV dominated times) will almost
certainly
rise and fall. Some will have staying power, some will be flashes in the
pan, and others
will simply make us shake our heads and make us ask the eternal question,
"Why?".

But the Brain Surgeons will continue painting masterpieces, with 2 right
hands.

Robert "Torgo" Sedler

Torgo has left the building.......
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DrTorgo at hotmail.com
http://welcome.to/torgos
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