Via Michael Coyle, who was there the night this came out on LP:

The Underground Railroad To Candyland Bird Roughs (Recess Records)

Todd Congelliere and his San Pedro pals are the masters of making records that sound like fuck-around time turned into something worth keeping. Bird Roughs starts with a git lead that hitches a ride from the garage where the Minutemen used to practice and then gets hopped up on goofballs while Congelliere hoots about bouncing square balls off round walls. Bass plucks back and forth and the drums start a roll that will continue to spin and thump with for the rest of the record. (It’s the same great drummer as Toys That Kill—the more intense band half these cats are in.) You’re hearing an abstract-punk anthem of nonconformity, or at least just a reason to jump. The music has more twang than distortion and a cheeky hustle, brought about in no small part by the non sequitur lyrics—name dropping former NBA beanpole Manute Bol in a tune called “Yuppie Hip Hop Ad” or asking “Mama, can I throw ice cream?” in a song subtitled “Ex-Fat Kid Blues,” often hollered like Yosemite Sam with a hotfoot. It turns into a surf rock record for a bit, a hyper-fast Kinks for a couple of minutes and glides into these sweet little bubblegum garage ditties almost despite itself. All the while, it’s an inside joke that you can either rock with or be rocked by.

EDCZ say: my favorite local full-length of the last semester and lead-in to when Paperplanes comes out next weekend. To me it’s trustworthy Todd-rock sound with perfect production (practice-space recording from Joel Morales with help from J.P. Caballero) and a bunch of songs that almost turn into ‘Bastards Of Young’ but then switch into something else just as satisfying. Buy yourself this little guy here or call Fingerprints and have them order it for you! Music to listen to on their Myspace or video (of them doing the great song ‘Suey” (which is the “Ex-Fat Kid Blues” one) at Que Sera below. Pretty rough sound but dedicated footage of Jack’s backside might charm you regardless:

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Tags: album review, local music, michael coyle, Music, que sera, underground railroad to candyland, vid