REVIEW: WELFARE MOTHERS - LONG BROWN HAIR 7"

You know the one thing that those kickball games that Robin Rubber Duckie organizes are missing? (Ahem - Pause for a minute for some disastrously overdue praise to the whips for Miss Robin. Not only does she do the whole kickball thing, but she was the lady behind the inner loop-wide game of Assassin last year. Her organization of epic non-booze fueled fun is so positively wholesome that we kind of feel like kind of a shithead ordering shots of Jaeger from her. But, uh, back to what her kickball games are missing). Entrance songs. You know, like how they used to always play U2 for Biggio when he strolled up to the plate, or when Jose Lima would wind up they would do that little Casa Ole jingle (fresh too-day, TODAY!)

Granted, the one time we went to one, there was a drum circle operating in the immediate vicinity, but we are going to come right out and say that nothing from the mind of Arthur Hull would ever get us sufficiently pumped to do the three step trot and then rocket one deep into left field. No, we think that, this week anyways, if we did get invited back to one of those lazy Sunday games, and we were asked to provide a tape to play when the time came for us to deliver a crushing offensive maneuver, we'd prolly pick Long Brown Hair by the Welfare Mothers.

The A-Side of this, their first release, is rumble tumble fun, polished like a rock in a tumbler (i.e. from hard knocks and not with some goop and a handkerchief). The two chord main riff is pure power-pop bliss, as catchy as The Knack or The Romantics at their finest, but with just enough grit to be sure they never end up in a Sun Kissed commercial. On the flip, "Bloodsucker" takes the unexpected step of adding an acoustic guitar to the band's otherwise garage-issued vox/bass/drums/electric guit setup. The percussive strumming (you can't really hear to full body of the guitar, just the scraping of the pick over the strings) adds to the rambunction , and adds to the sense that the van could careen of the road at any given moment.

We would imagine that, if people were to levy a criticism against this record, it might be "dude should take singing lessons." But, given the snotty snarl in his voice, we would imagine the reply might include instructions on where exactly those particular lessons should be placed. It works with the music, and it works for us even if it wouldn't for Simon Cowell. Relief. Both these tracks sound so good no doubt in no small part due to the fact they were recorded at Sweatbox in Austin by Tim Kerr (who, we shouldn't need to remind you, was part of the legendary Texas punk act the Big Boys and recorded more than his fare share of great sounding Fatal Flying Guilloteen tracks. RIP?)

You can get the Welfare Mother' Long Brown Hair 7" at Sound Exchange, or at their midnight show tomorrow @ River Oaks Theater with Black Black Gold. Recommendo Maestro!

STREAM: Welfare Mothers - Various Tracks