After a 45 song album about zits and related surface irritants, Slugmilk turn their sights towards one of England’s favourite pastimes.
Mash Gaston
Say what you want about the never ending string of absolutely ridiculous albums being churned out by the Saint John based Tin Pan Alley of nonsensical buffoonery that is Slugmilk, but there is no denying their commitment to the cause. Following up on their July 2021 release, Volume XII: Skin Conditions, which is basically the digital equivalent to a 4LP double gatefold album pressed on 180 gram vinyl dedicated exclusively to rashes, zits and under arm scabs – all 45 songs worth – this band of punk poets are back (already!) with another collection and another theme. This time, they’re singing about cricket, a sport almost as eccentric as the Slugmilk itself. Almost.
I’m not even going to get into the details about any of the songs here because, over the past year or more I’ve become quite a fan of Slugmilk and honestly believe what they do is more of an experience than anything else. The curious need only to press play to discover what this band is about. I’ve even joined the ranks of their diehard following who refer to the band simply as The Milk. Je ne comprends pas their je ne sais quoi, but I know there is a magic within those words, those fake accents, those Elmer Fudd-like vocal deliveries, and those primitive punk structures that speaks to something far greater than the surface level improv comedy that simply must be pumping at 110% when these guys are in the studio laying this shit down.
Perhaps the most endearing quality of Slugmilk is the not so mild mocking of everything commercial music holds dear that permeates through every new release. It’s downright masterful. A concept album about acne! And now one about cricket? Multiple albums released in a single year? And people are buying these records. It would seem they’ve cracked the code, or flipped the playbook so to speak. It’s almost like a reverse Scooby-Doo. You know that part of every Scooby-Doo episode where the gang pull the mask off the villain and act all surprised that Mr. Jones, the head of the PTA was the one stealing catalytic converters off U-Hauls in the Wilson Fuels’ parking lot? Slugmilk are those villains. And they have cleverly created an environment where they basically stand in front of us, put on their disguises and get busy. And the results are, like how I would imagine watching an episode of Scooby-Doo in reverse would be, not what you would expect or have ever experienced, yet somehow incredibly satisfying and maybe even a tad bit educational on some whacked out level.
