Published on Feb 27, 1999
It’s not often I dock an album in its final rating for a hidden
track; usually I just go online and complain about what a stupid
practice this is.
But in the case of Supafuzz’s self-titled debut album, the
“bonus” track (and I use that term loosely) that follows “Joke” is
the biggest waste of time since I received The Jerky Boys in the
mail. How bad was it? This is the first time in the history of “The
Daily Vault” that I didn’t bother finishing the track.
Following up what turned out to be a surprisingly solid album of
alternative-flavored rock with a series of prank phone calls… I
swear, I don’t know who thinks this is funny. True story: when I
used to moderate a high school newspaper, the kids I mentored
thought the Jerky Boys were so big and funny. I asked them, “What
would you do if someone prank-called you?”
Their response: “I’d kick their ass”… which proved my point
that this stuff isn’t funny, especially if it’s happening to you.
It made them think for a minute.
Why this trio – vocalist/guitarist David Angstrom, bassist Dean
Smith and drummer Chris Leathers – would mess up an otherwise solid
album is beyond me. They bashed out over the course of 50 minutes
some solid efforts (especially from a newcomer to the scene).
Tracks like “Mr. Policeman,” “Pretty Blank Page” and the title
track show that this band has something behind it, and with the
right breaks could make it to the big-time. (They’re no less
deserving in that regard than some of the sewage I’ve heard from
the genre over the last few years.)
Musically, Supafuzz is a solid unit. In the category of
songwriting, they’re also solid. The only drawback I found in their
music is that the energy seemed to dip near the halfway point,
blurring tracks like “Long Way Home” and “You Don’t Even Know
Me…” together, even after multiple listenings. This, however, is
a problem that is corrected through the passage of time, and I have
no doubts that Supafuzz could overcome this one obstacle.
Had it not been for the incredible waste of time that makes up
track 15 (and five minutes of it is dead air, for Crissake – who
thinks this stuff up?!?), I’d have been inclined to give
Supafuzz a “B”. To use a football analogy, the band
unfortunately fumbled the ball just before they made it to the end
zone. Some advice, guys: Don’t make the same mistake twice.