Buzz Hungry

August 8 - 15, 1 9 9 6 [Off the Record]

*** Buzz Hungry

AT THE HANDS OF OUR INTERCESSORS

(Compulsiv)
Bassist David Barbe reportedly broke up Sugar by refusing to tour, so he probably couldn't afford to make another side-project album that wouldn't sell. He's traded the avant-pop leanings of Buzz Hungry's first EP for a more familiar sound -- a tuneful-but-twisted loud-guitar approach that recalls Mission of Burma at least as much as it does Sugar. No complaints here, since he's also come up with better material, saving the weirdness for the brief instrumental bits between songs.
In spirit this sounds like a good mid-'80s indie album. You can hear the band's pleasure in juggling musical styles, sending up established acts (the Soundgarden resemblance on "Black Hole Soul" was probably intentional), and using phrases like "a plethora of mediocre rock bands" in song lyrics. "Grey Machine" pulls off a long, haunting finale, with Barbe handling lead guitar about as well as he did bass. He also produces a lot of the demo tapes that come out of Athens lately, and his production work falls into the Mitch Easter tradition of low-budget creativity. If you liked the songs that he sneaked into Sugar's EPs and live sets, you'll like this.
-- Brett Milano