“The Brain that Wouldn’t Die” not scary at all

While the title “The Brain that Wouldn’t Die” may bring to mind images of a cheesy monster flick, the Goodnight Monsters album by that name is anything but horror. Listening to this debut album by the cheeky Finnish group conjures pictures more along the lines of sunbeams and teddy bears. I happened across this CD by clicking on one of those “if you like this then you’ll love this” links, and for what is probably the first time ever they were right. I was hooked on just the demo, and promptly bought it. The music is reminiscent of a 60’s all-girl bubblegum group, despite being modern, decidedly male, and technically classified as rock.

If you enjoy lightweight happy music, the album never disappoints. “The Brain” is silly without being stupid, and sweet without being cloying. Even though they tackle a few vastly different musical styles in the “Inspector Pharao” series of instrumental tracks, Goodnight Monsters’ infectious brand of happy pop/rock keeps driving through the entire album.

The lyrics are for the most part lighthearted, matching the music behind them. However, “The Brain that Wouldn’t Die” tap-dances on a fine line between serious and silly. Songs like “Big Jet” and the nine minute long anthem “Demonstrator” are comments on the corporatization of the music industry, while “20 Fingers 20 Toes” is little more than a sticky sweet inventory of a couple’s parts as they huddle together in a summer shower. “I Was a Teenage Soldier” even manages to be silly and protest warfare at the same time.

If the album has a flaw, it is the production value. The “The Brain” was self-recorded, and even though it was nice equipment, the stuff they had was still not professional quality. With good speakers and good ears, you can catch fidelity problems about equal to a low quality mp3. I can live with that.