BUTTHOLE SURFERS

BUTTHOLE SURFERS are anything but a household name. The Texans sure did dig their dirty fingers into the pop cultural psyche with their hit song "Pepper" from 1996's "Electriclarryland", though, also notable was frontman Gibby Haynes's guest vocals on MINISTRY's early nineties staple "Jesus Built My Hotrod". More profoundly and on a deeper level, they effected the underground and not-so-underground worlds by influencing acts as varied as GWAR, FLAMING LIPS, JANE'S ADDICTION, WHITE ZOMBIE, MONSTER MAGNET, PRIMUS and NIRVANA. Hot on the heels of "Pepper"'s success, Capitol Records wanted to steer them along a more commercial trajectory, but for a band that was born from the eighties hardcore scene, rigid expectations didn't mesh with their ethos.

Most bands tend to cave-in in the face of such major label demands, but BUTTHOLE SURFERS response was clearly reactionary to these expectations and to the grunge-focused aesthetics and trappings that dominated the mid-nineties. The resulting album, "After The Astronaut", was a creative accomplishment for the band, as well as an oddly defiant misstep from the label's perspective. The album was shelved, although the songs were re-tooled into 2001's "Weird Revolution". Now, finally, the experimental psych rock band is able to see the release of the original songs three decades later via Sunset Blvd.

Everything starts off with Haynes's spoken word ranting that strikes with the passion of a riled up Southern Baptist preacher. The entirety of the release is steeped in a forward-thinking kind of psychedelia that doesn't sound dated even now decades later. Subdued beats and electronic grooves slither their way through your earholes with no intention of leaving. The sparse heavy guitars interestingly have more bite and balls than what you'll hear from most metal and hardcore bands. "Intelligent Guy" sounds like an industrial band trying to make what may sound like radio-friendly music without the expectation of commercial success. While more experimental than their big hit "Pepper", it isn't drastically different in terms of sound, pace and approach.

Their playful and creative use of electronic, pulsing sounds and stuttered beats would make most trip-hop bands cross their arms with envy. Sensual grooves define "Venus" and "Imbuya". "I Don't Have A Problem", in stark contrast, builds texture and drama with considerable distortion and mysterious vocal effects.

They wax philosophical more than political on "Jet Fighter", clearly an anti-war protest anthem that can be applied toward the wars of any era. It's also so catchy that it may have had just as much airplay as "Pepper". Had the suits actually believed in the band in the nineties, the label very well may have seen ongoing dollar signs through BUTTHOLE SURFERS.

Speculation aside, the musically maniacal Texans — Gibby Haynes, Paul Leary and King Coffey—struck creative gold with "After the Astronaut". The rest of us can finally properly appreciate it now.