Track Listing
1. Pretty Little Killer
2. Morning Wood Chorus
3. Love & Rockets
4. Fashion Hole
No Pussyfooting’s newest E.P. was released on a bright yellow cassette tape. The cover consists of a black-and-white side profile of the band bordered by bright red, and the statement “Pussyfooting is the Opiate of the Masses” emblazoned in yellow. Seems like a formidable statement for a four-song E.P. However, their efforts on this short album are just as provocative, and interesting, as the statement listed above.
The E.P. opens with a murder ballad that breaks right into a bluesy-garage-like guitar riff that battles alongside the saxophone for domination of the track. The lyrics are splattered with imagery of a blood-curdled, angry wife shooting up prosecutors, judges, and the like – a bit reminiscent of the black comedy crime film, Natural Born Killers (1994).
Neither guitar nor sax takes over, and in the end, both team up to help the pretty little killer complete her killing spree. With lyrics like “[s]he’s the woman that I love” from the vocalist, and the almost rockabilly-like beating of the drums, you feel like you are right there, taking every shot and stepping over each body.
The second track has a humorous title, “Morning Wood Chorus”, but is entirely serious otherwise. It is a love ballad. The saxophone plays resonating low tones until a solo break around the 1:20 mark. The lyrics, “[a]in’t nothing wrong with a short time”, makes this slow, thumping piece almost emotional.
It seems to be a parting song, whether for a woman, a city, or an idea. This song, perhaps the calmest on the album, is also the most emotional.
“Love & Rockets” takes off somewhere around where “Pretty Little Killer” leaves off. With a quick intro of some grunge-style guitar, the horn soon interrupts. The fast rhythms mere, and the vocals soon follow. It is a quirky little song that questions love and its intentions, and does so by asking questions laden with humour and sarcasm:
“If I blast off into space with my rocket ship humming, would you look up into the sky, would you shed a tear?” Before you even realize, however, the song is over. It is a quick little ditty, which moves like a locomotive, and is driven by love, confusion, and one dirty saxophone.
Finally, the last song on the album, “Fashion Hole”, begins with some electronic vibes. This song, with its sci-fi background synthesizers and its groovy and slender pace, is the fastest of the bunch.
The song is driven by the synthesizer, but then the sax breaks back in around the 1:30 mark, and it is a duel between the two coolest instruments that the band plays.
Lyrics like “[b]e a fashion victim… These leather boots, why don’t you like ‘em, for all the strung-out boys and girls” seem to criticize the idea of fashion and its role in deviating cultures (Punk, Grunge, etc.), but that is just my idea and I may be talking out of my ass.
All in all, No Pussyfooting’s E.P. is one of the most full-sounding 4-songers around, and succeeds in employing a diverse sound, almost like a sped-up, angry version of The Burning Hell. Goddamn, does it sound great.
Listen to No Pussyfooting on: nopussyfooting.ca
