ELECTRIC SIX - SENOR SMOKE

 After a year and a half break from "Fire", Electric Six got back in the studio to record this new disc.  If you're like me and you loved "Fire" then you were a little apprehensive about "Senor Smoke".  Sometimes a band can release an amazing first album and then waste all their talent in that one record.  The second album usually sets up the pattern for the band and will establish whether or not they're worth hearing.  Although it didn't get very good reviews in England, I'm here to tell you, it's an incredible record.  One of their best.  From start to finish, Tyler Spencer growls and croons his way through each song.  'Rock And Roll Evacuation' starts the disc off on a rock note.  The song bursts forth as Tyler proclaims, "This is an evil generation".  It's a call to arms of sorts.  Reaching out to those outcasts who feel separate from corporate money making American values.  It goes on to say you can check out of that world and find safety in Rock and Roll.  There is salvation in the music.  This number is a little different as it is the first time under the Electric Six moniker that the band plays a purely rock number.

The second track is a song die-hard fans would recognize as the sound the band has become famous for.  'Devil Nights' has a melodic guitar line and has a disco funky beat.  It's also a theme Electric Six carry on through most of their subsequent records.  Tyler Spencer writes a lot of songs about the devil.  This one details an evening driving around the city with him.  'Bite Me' sounds like a traditional new wave classic from the early 80s with all the driving force of a punk rock attitude.  In the vein of 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' by Pat Benatar or 'Hurt So Good' by John Melloncamp, 'Bite Me' equates physical violence with pleasure.  It's another incredible track that rocks out while it delivers funky beats.  The next track is 'Jimmy Carter' and it's the only ballad on the album.  Tyler paints a bleak picture of who we are as a country and as a society through his lyrics.  He pokes fun at pop culture and how superficial consumers are.  He also includes some lyrics that seem prophetic in nature.  

'Pleasing Interlude I' is a strange number.  It's a sketch comedy routine that is more odd than interesting.  Still, it's weirdness kinda fits in with the rest of the record.  There's so much randomness happening musically and lyrically, having an offbeat sketch like this one only notches up the radical nature of the material.  It's followed by another funk/rock/disco number, 'Dance Epidemic' and like the previous tracks in this genre, it's bang on awesome!  'Future Boys' is a synth laden tour de force that fires across your ears like lasers.  It's followed by 'Dance-A-Thon 2005'.  This track has a heavy bass and a deep bottom sound to it.  The slower pace could make it a ballad, but the synth lines are fast and there's a lot of momentum in the drumming.  It's more like a mood than a ballad.  

Both 'Be My Dark Angel' and 'Vibrator' refine the band's developing disco rock in new ways and both are exciting numbers.  'Vibrator' leans heavily towards 80s New Wave, while 'Be My Dark Angel' has all the energy of a runaway train.  It pile drives you and it's one of my all time favorite E6 songs.  'Boy Or Girl?' is another New Wave nod; though not as exciting as 'Vibrator'.  It's got a less enthusiastic rhythm and Dick Valentine doesn't sing this one.  I think it's Tait Nucleus, but I could be mistaken.  'Pleasing Interlude II' is a solo number with Dick on piano.  It clocks in at 00:27 seconds and is over before you realize it's begun.  

The next cut is a Queen cover.  You know covers of other people's material always run the risk of being inferior to the original and are often simply a way of an artist paying tribute to someone who inspired them or who they enjoy.  It's seldom a cover is as good or better than the original.  Especially in rock and roll.  As for E6's cover of 'Radio Ga Ga', I won't go so far as to say they surpassed the original version, but I will say this...  I never liked the song until I heard it on "Senor Smoke".  It's difficult for any vocalist to compare to Freddy Mercury.  The man was simply incredible and I can't even begin to think how you would compare Dick Valentine to his style and sound.  But I do love the E6 arrangement and it works quite well with Valentine's voice.  'Taxi To Nowhere' is another solo piano effort.  It's another short number, but it begins an interesting story.  One I wouldn't mind hearing more of.  If only.

The final track on the record is 'Future Is In The Future'.  Of all the songs on this cd, this one sounds completely out of place.  It's so comfortably at home in radio friendly pop waters you can barely imagine it on a rock record.  Still, here it is and without a doubt, I love this song immensely.  At every E6 concert I've attended, I sit in the back and watch the show.  I stay comfortably out of the way.  But the last time I saw them live, they played this number.  Needless to say, I was on the dance floor in seconds.  I had to jam to my song.

"Senor Smoke" cemented my fascination with Electric Six and made me a die-hard fan.  There isn't enough I can say about the wit, intelligence and character of these songs and the band who created them.  It's so worth your time and effort to pick this project up.  I can't stress it enough.  If you're wondering why there are two covers posted here, the answer is simple...  The first is the official cover of the cd.  The second is the cover of the promo edition of the album that was sent out in England.  I have a copy of each one, so I included them both.  No sense in posting a review twice.  I'm not sure which copy I prefer.  The first one has a 60s go-go look.  I feel like I'm in a Cantina watching a stripper with a beehive dancing to the Strawberry Alarm Clock.  Anyway...  My final words:  THE PERFECT FOLLOW UP FROM AN INCREDIBLE BAND!

ELECTRIC SIX - SENOR SMOKE
01. Rock And Roll Evacuation
02. Devil Nights
03. Bite Me
04. Jimmy Carter
05. Pleasing Interlude I
06. Dance Epidemic
07. Future Boys
08. Dance-A-Thon 2005
09. Be My Dark Angel
10. Vibrator
11. Boy Or Girl?
12. Pleasing Interlude II
13. Radio Ga Ga
14. Taxi To Nowhere
15. Future Is In The Future