The Budweiser Thief
It's been almost four years since The Bicycle Thief, and enquiring minds have been wondering whether old Bob went off the deep end again, blowing any good will and cash he might have received with that masterwork on sins of the nostrils and veins. Not to worry, cuz the greatest middle-aged emo writer around is back, and lo and behold it's a return to the old with a new Thelonious Monster record, and it is one of my favorite records of the year. Apparently, the now fortysomething Monsters have stayed in touch and at least moderately friendly, and so they decided to play on that fraternal spirit and do homage to their favorite bands and put out what one would have to believe is their last record. And what a record it is, easily the most consistent thing they've ever done, and filled with highlights too numerous to name. For my money, it doesn't quite reach the emotional heights of the BT record, but you get the feeling Bob is in a better place now, and maybe the tortured can only tap that source once to deliver the kind of raw nerve aural confessionism that was that collection. So, no elephant jokes here, no Sammy Hagar mentions, and nothing about Michael Jordan. What you get instead is 15 songs with titles like "The Gun Club Song," or "The Iggy Stooge Song," which may be a reference to the style in which they play, the spirit they try to channel, or well, who knows. The result is absolutely righteous, though, with only one misstep ("The Germs Song," and hey, that only lasts about a minute). The rest are catchy and funny and rocking and all those other positive adjectives you might normally associate with a great rock and roll record. Long live the Berkeley Square!!!!!!!!!!!!!!