Published on Dec 30, 1998
The simplest way to describe the Los Angeles rock band Redd
Kross is that they are the Smashing Pumpkins with a sense of humor.
They remind me of the Pumpkins on the way their songs range from
grunge to sweet pop. I wouldn’t say lead singer Jeffrey McDonald
sounds like Billy Corgan, but his pipes are not too far away from
Corgan’s either. He and his brother, bassist Steven McDonald, write
most of the somewhat off-center songs. I suspect it is their sense
of humor that kept Redd Kross form achieving success since
alternative rock bands are supposed to be whiny and depressed
according to the music industry.
The 1993 album
Phaseshifter immediately sets up the different sides of the
Redd Kross world. The first song “Jimmy’s Fantasy” sounds like your
typical grunge song of the day – edgy with an aggressive guitar
assault. However, the lyrics are a bit smirky in their references.
This song is followed by one nice slice of hard-edged power pop
called “Lady In The Front Row”, a clever love song that sounds like
70’s bubblegum rock in melody, although the guitars are louder and
more accomplished.
Phaseshifter pretty much alternates between more
rock-oriented and poppier songs throughout the whole album. “Crazy
World” goes for straight grunge as the lyrics are angry and
cynical. “Huge Wonder” is a slow but hard rocker. And the album
ends in rousing fashion with the punky raveup “After School
Special”. I like the beautiful piano interlude by Gere Fennelly
that eventually breaks up into a punk frenzy with the guitars
slowly sneaking in.
On the pop side, “Saragon” is pure bubblegum, even
instrumentally. “Dumb Angel” tempers McDonald’s and Edward
Kurdziel’s razor sharp guitar playing with a nice rhythmic piano
part. “Ms. Lady Evans” sounds like something off the third Go-Go’s
album. Incidentally former Go-Go’s bassist Charlotte Caffrey gets
songwriting credit for “Pay For Love”, a witty song that is about a
guy looking for love but only finding prostitutes.
So is
Phaseshifter as good as any of the Smashing Pumpkins albums?
Well, there is no song here as powerful as their best songs like
“Bullet On Butterfly Wings”, for example. On the other hand, this
album doesn’t have some of the excesses found on most Pumpkins
albums. Redd Kross, unlike the Pumpkins, are aware of their
limitations and do not overreach. The bottom line is this is an all
around good album that makes alternative rock fun. Imagine that! If
the Pumpkins ever came out with an album like this, it might not be
their greatest, but they could do a lot worse, and actually, they
have.