Masked Superstar _Beautified for Sound_ (Vaunted 2003)

Made up names don’t you just love ‘em, here we’ve got Arch Slang, 
Glen Plaid and Glance Swift, yeah its comedy record time. They 
Might Be Giants, The Dead Milkmen, Camper Van Beethoven, Bogshed, 
Elephants Gerald, Short Dogs Grow, I could go on, but you’re probably 
laughing too much, the names, the memories, the songs? Yeah, the 
songs, you remember any (apart from the Malcolm in the Middle tune)? 
No didn’t think so, this is nerdy pop done with tongue firmly stuck 
out just so we know they’re funny. Actually this does have brevity 
on its side 16 tracks in 35 minutes, they don’t hang around too long 
and get on your nerves but they are like midges you swat one away and 
here comes another. Some tracks remind me of the Monochrome Set, some 
have weird hooks (Special Lady) a strange repeating guitar figure 
that kind of curls in on itself, that taken out of context, are great. 
Her Majesty’s Pleasure starts out like mid-period Orange Juice and 
mutates into a Fred Frith like tune. It’s an instrumental and easily 
the best thing here. There’s enough here to suggest that they are 
capable of much better if they drop the frat-boy humour. Available 
from www.vauntedrecords.com