"THE POPULAR ALTERNATIVE" BY MAN BITES GOD
04/06/06 Filed in: Review CD
Man
Bites God hold a unique position in Australia. In the
comedy world they are seen as Musical Comedians, even
though they are the first to admit that there are
many others that are far more comedic than they are.
In the Music Industry they are seen as a talented
band that happen to write some pretty funny songs.
This ability to exist in either world is how they can
produce an album such as The Popular Alternative,
that will have you tapping your feet as well as
laughing your head off.
The CD kicks off with the tune Rock ‘n’ Roll Lifestyle where the boys, with their tongues firmly in their cheeks, lament the hardships of being a Rock Star. This funky little number makes you want to dance.
Despite the very graphic nature of the first two absurd verses, Cubby House is a beautiful song that explores the concept of the Cubby as a place of safety and comfort. This song features a piano arrangement that just screams “delightful”. Just when you think it can’t get more adorable, the closing chorus is sung by a children’s choir. It makes you want to relive your childhood!
Next up is the token single Bride of the Dragon (which has a brilliant animated video that has been shown on Rage). While this song is great when performed live with James handling vocal duties, this version is awesome with it’s additional instrumentation and the female voice of Deborah Conway. Deborah is so good at selling the song that you could easily believe that she actually is the frustrated wife of a Ninja.
God Bless the Dancing Girls is interesting in that it explores the possibly sad and lonely world of a Strip Club / Peep Show patron, yet manages to celebrate this lifestyle at the same time. It also gets bonus points for possibly being the only song that makes use of the word “ecdysiast”.
Beginning as a fairly straightforward tune with a bit of suggestiveness thrown in, The Pope Song poses the question of, beneath the robes is the Pope just a regular guy? The song soon veers off into very wrong territory with the introduction of some pretty confronting Homo Erotic material in the closing moments, all performed as a rap. This song along with Hymn (another religious number containing full on sexual innuendo and plenty of Blasphemy) are the ones most likely to push the buttons of devout Christians, whom the boys seem to take pleasure in offending at every chance they get.
Work Experience Boy tells the tale of most people’s initiation into the workforce in all it’s horrific glory. The humour in this tune is very much of the school of thought that “it’s funny because it is so true”.
A long time favourite in their live set, The War March is just like the title suggests with hilarious lyrics that are seen through the eyes of a clearly delusional Army Reservist. Mark’s recorder gets a workout in this song with renditions of some recognizable war ditties.
Funny Guy is a fairly sad song that about a poor fellow’s attempts to impress the object of his affection with humour that goes awry. Next comes Solar Flares, the wacky song of the album that’s about a girl and her hazardous apparel. With its’ many astronomical references and a catchy snare drum beat, it sounds like a mixture of They Might Be Giants and the Lucksmiths.
The final listed track on the album is Win At All Costs, MBG’s tongue in cheek Commonwealth Games anthem. It combines a scathing commentary about Australian Society’s obsession with sports with plenty of mangled sporting references to form a brilliantly funny song.
A not-so-hidden bonus track rounds out the CD. This un-named song is a extremely clever tune (featuring the sweet vocals of Nicko) that makes the Bonus Song a living entity. The song compares itself to other songs and pleads to be taken seriously, before raining abuse upon the apathetic listener.
Man Bites God have the musical chops to create brilliant tunes that are far from the One Joke songs that others are prone to produce. Each tune is packed full of humourous content that can keep you on your toes for the duration of the song. A constant shifting of musical styles which some may find a little schizophrenic, makes sure that the listener is never bored. This is a worthy addition to anyone’s CD collection.
Colin Flaherty
The Groggy Squirrel
The CD kicks off with the tune Rock ‘n’ Roll Lifestyle where the boys, with their tongues firmly in their cheeks, lament the hardships of being a Rock Star. This funky little number makes you want to dance.
Despite the very graphic nature of the first two absurd verses, Cubby House is a beautiful song that explores the concept of the Cubby as a place of safety and comfort. This song features a piano arrangement that just screams “delightful”. Just when you think it can’t get more adorable, the closing chorus is sung by a children’s choir. It makes you want to relive your childhood!
Next up is the token single Bride of the Dragon (which has a brilliant animated video that has been shown on Rage). While this song is great when performed live with James handling vocal duties, this version is awesome with it’s additional instrumentation and the female voice of Deborah Conway. Deborah is so good at selling the song that you could easily believe that she actually is the frustrated wife of a Ninja.
God Bless the Dancing Girls is interesting in that it explores the possibly sad and lonely world of a Strip Club / Peep Show patron, yet manages to celebrate this lifestyle at the same time. It also gets bonus points for possibly being the only song that makes use of the word “ecdysiast”.
Beginning as a fairly straightforward tune with a bit of suggestiveness thrown in, The Pope Song poses the question of, beneath the robes is the Pope just a regular guy? The song soon veers off into very wrong territory with the introduction of some pretty confronting Homo Erotic material in the closing moments, all performed as a rap. This song along with Hymn (another religious number containing full on sexual innuendo and plenty of Blasphemy) are the ones most likely to push the buttons of devout Christians, whom the boys seem to take pleasure in offending at every chance they get.
Work Experience Boy tells the tale of most people’s initiation into the workforce in all it’s horrific glory. The humour in this tune is very much of the school of thought that “it’s funny because it is so true”.
A long time favourite in their live set, The War March is just like the title suggests with hilarious lyrics that are seen through the eyes of a clearly delusional Army Reservist. Mark’s recorder gets a workout in this song with renditions of some recognizable war ditties.
Funny Guy is a fairly sad song that about a poor fellow’s attempts to impress the object of his affection with humour that goes awry. Next comes Solar Flares, the wacky song of the album that’s about a girl and her hazardous apparel. With its’ many astronomical references and a catchy snare drum beat, it sounds like a mixture of They Might Be Giants and the Lucksmiths.
The final listed track on the album is Win At All Costs, MBG’s tongue in cheek Commonwealth Games anthem. It combines a scathing commentary about Australian Society’s obsession with sports with plenty of mangled sporting references to form a brilliantly funny song.
A not-so-hidden bonus track rounds out the CD. This un-named song is a extremely clever tune (featuring the sweet vocals of Nicko) that makes the Bonus Song a living entity. The song compares itself to other songs and pleads to be taken seriously, before raining abuse upon the apathetic listener.
Man Bites God have the musical chops to create brilliant tunes that are far from the One Joke songs that others are prone to produce. Each tune is packed full of humourous content that can keep you on your toes for the duration of the song. A constant shifting of musical styles which some may find a little schizophrenic, makes sure that the listener is never bored. This is a worthy addition to anyone’s CD collection.
Colin Flaherty
The Groggy Squirrel