Capgun Coup - Maudlin

Genre punk rock Publisher Slumberparty Records External Links

This is supposed to be about music…this is supposed to be about music. As I listened to the album Maudlin, I kept tapping my ankles together like a coke-head Dorothy, lost and disillusioned in Oz, wanting to go back home where things made sense. Things (read: music) suck from time to time because reality sucks from time to time, but nevertheless, at home, things usually work out for the best. In that alternate, bizarro-world, nothing made sense and I wanted out. I wanted off the ride—stat. I opened my eyes. I was lying in bed, drenched in a cold sweat, surrounded by friends and family. They reassured me that I was safe and that a light at the end of the tunnel did, indeed, exist. Those kind souls promptly comforted me with an a cappella rendition of “Over the Rainbow.”

Five guys from Omaha, Nebraska decided that they were tired of their usual Saturday night circle-jerk routine of watching Top Gun for the umpteenth time in grandma’s basement. Timmy, Tommy, Terry, Teddy, and Tully (they’re Irish) fondly remembered their middle school days when they joined show band. Things were never the same. Each of them had a very special and unique gift. Not only could they play musical instruments, but they could also annoy the hell out of every living creature in a ten-mile radius. They got an impish pleasure out of pissing everyone off and from then on, used their God-given ability to make insane albums and wax ridiculous on MySpace.

Okay…maybe I went too far. Circle Jerk? That’s just not fair. I know, I know. I take it back. No, I have to maintain my critical integrity. It stands. For the love of God—I wish they could take it back. Or at least take it seriously—take their craft, their job-seriously. There’s nothing wrong with having fun. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being child-like, whimsical, silly, even a little…shall I dare say…foolish. Capgun Coup sounds a lot like the Strokes. It’s actually, shockingly, good…at some times. They bring out a lot of great beats, stylish composition, and fascinating vocals.

At other times, it sounds like their music should be featured in a spaghetti western porno, or in a refurbished version of Elvis’ classic surf movie Blue Hawaii. The music, itself, is very interesting and compelling. It’s different—and I respect and appreciate ‘different’. There’s nothing worse than a band going with the flow all the time and having no way to distinguish it. However, I must say that I find this kind of rebellion to be a tad gratuitous and grotesque. They dress up as drunken chickens and make songs like “Wish I Was a Fag.” They are offensive and artless. They want to be provocative and avante gard, but only succeed in being juvenile and uninspired. They do have talent and, to their shame, they've wasted it.