New Music: Cheeseburger: "Tiger"
When I first heard Cheeseburger, I really hoped they weren't just being ironic. This is weird for me, and not only 'cause they're named Cheeseburger. Like, I don't mind Beck winking through urban radio tropes on Midnite Vultures, so why would I care whether three Brooklyn dudes bashing out Wild Turkey-draining dive bar rawk would really drain Wild Turkey in ungentrified dive bars? So basically, the video for "Tiger" hit me pretty much like a pie in the face.
"I'm a fucked-up mess," singer Joe Bradley begins, yowling like a bastard Iggy Stooge, while drummer Luke Crotty and guitarist Christy Karacas indulge Back in Black riff-rock hedonism. Um, Bradley is wearing a tiger costume-- and it works. Rather than copy some Motley Crue cliche and wind up sounding like Jet or Louis XIV, Cheeseburger toy with rock archetypes the way a big cat teases its prey. Not that these bozos are anywhere near the same league, but it's what Jonathan Richman did to early rock'n'roll, Pavement to the 90s alternageist, and Art Brut to Weezer's pop-punk confessionals. Did I mention pie in the face?
From behind Jack Nicholson shades, Bradley confronts the specter of hipster irony and kicks its scrawny little ass to the curb, sneering exultantly: "Ain't it fucking cute?" It kinda is!
MP3: > Cheeseburger: "Tiger"
[from Cheeseburger; due 03/06/07 on Kemado] | [PRE-ORDER]
Video: > Cheeseburger: "Tiger"
[from Cheeseburger; due 03/06/07 on Kemado] | [PRE-ORDER]