A
famous clown recently said "Why so serious?" Singer-Songwriter
Mitch Friedman teams with XTC to come up with a quirky and fun musical
journey guaranteed to make you smile. Mitch is a long time follower/fan
of XTC and the music will definitely appeal to you if you enjoy
Andy Partridge. Andy and Dave Gregory contribute to this album as
well. The opener "This is A Song" is a literal formula
for how to make a great pop song (kids should pay attention here).
The next song is even catchier, as "My Dumb Luck" is a
brilliant track that will remind some of the "Oranges &
Lemons" era with witty sing song wordplay. Mr. Partridge provides
jazzy guitar licks to "Little Masterpiece," and Gregory
contributes several guitars and bass to the hyper actively folky
"The Man That Talked Too Much." Even though Colin Moulding
doesn't play on this album, his spirit is channelled in "Make
Yourself At Home." It's also pretty obvious that Mitch spent
a lot of time doing kids records, as "Blackout" and "She's
Dynamite!" use all sorts of frantic effects and goofy arrangements.
Even "In The Know" uses a whiny vocal and songstress Anne
D. Bernstein for sweet backing vocals to go all over the place a
la "I Am The Walrus". A sure fire single "I Have
Never Lied" has more than a touch of fellow Brooklyn quirk-rockers
They Might Be Giants influence here. Additional support is also
here from power pop princess Andrea Perry, R. Stevie Moore and Joe
McGinty (Loser's Lounge). Like the kitchy CD cover, this CD is full
of simple joys. Sing along and repeat.
--Aaron
Kupferberg
-
www.powerpopaholic.com
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There's
an old saying that no one leaves a Broadway theater humming the
costumes. It's all about the songs. The same rule applies to Game
Show Teeth, the new CD by Mitch Friedman. No one is going to be
humming the teeth. But the songs!
The
album opens with a song entitled "This Is a Song." Although
all of the songs on the album are, in fact, songs, none more so
than the song called "This Is a Song." Years from now,
this is the song singers will be singing when they want to cover
a great song from 2008. Trust me on that.
The
rest of the collection is equally good with clever songs, funny
songs and songs that are otherwise catchy, interesting and entertaining.
Like the titular (heh-heh, I said "titular") game show
teeth, each track is a shining, pearly-white example of whatever
genre this is.
Mitch
Friedman's music fills that void between the Sun Ra Arkestra and
the Smothers Brothers. He is the best at what he does. He's also
the only one who does what he does, but that doesn't make the previous
sentence any less of a compliment. With a voice that's a cross between
Frank Zappa and Toni Tennille, and a songwriting sensibility reminiscent
of Randy Newman by way of Norm Crosby, Mitch is like the great American
farmer; he stands alone in
his
field.
If
I were stranded on a desert island I would want to have this CD.
I'd also like to have a CD player, plenty of food, clothes, a house,
lots of pretty island girls making me umbrella drinks, and a big
car with a tank full of high-test. That would make the whole desert
island thing bearable. If I were stranded on a dessert island it
would be an entirely different story. I'd
have
a slice of key lime pie with whipped cream.
Go
buy Game Show Teeth right this minute.
--David
Burd -
Burd Is
The Wurd
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Mitch
Friedman has one of my favorite children's CDs that's ever appeared
on the Not Lame site called Purple Burt, which my son took to bed
every night for 3 or 4 months straight. Let me be clear here, though:
Game Show Teeth is NOT a children's album. Game Show Teeth is a
wonderful mix of They Might Be Giants, Ween, Devo and R. Stevie
Moore-styled quirk pop. It is a pure delight!
--Bruce
Brodeen
- NotLame.com
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REVIEWS
(c) 2009 Mitch friedman. all rights reserved.
"Game
Show Teeth" is the fourth album of quirky pop from Brooklyn's
Mitch Friedman. While the record was produced, performed and engineered
almost entirely by Friedman, he once again brings in some very familiar
names from XTC to join in the fun. Andy Partridge contributes some
of his trademark guitar licks to "Little Masterpiece,"
while Dave Gregory jams on "The Man That Talked Too Much".
Mitch
Friedman's brand of pop is playfully "out there", ranging
from clever and witty to downright goofy. The comical cover of the
CD is a good representation of what you are about to hear. Vocally
and musically, Mitch Friedman holds his own, although his vocal
tone seems tailored for kids' music or novelty records. Truth be
told, most people who prefer this subgenre of pop don't care about
that and are just listening for a good laugh - and they should find
plenty on "Game Show Teeth". If funny and eccentric pop
music is your bag, Mitch Friedman will delight you like no other.
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You
may not be able to judge a book by its cover but quite often you
can with albums. No better example of that than Mitch Friedman's
Game Show Teeth, which is as quirky and goofy as the cover art would
indicate. No joke, though, is the fact that XTC's Andy Partridge
and Dave Gregory help out with the proceedings, and Friedman is
a fine songsmith even if his songwriting is in service of some silly
numbers. "This is a Song" is a particular standout, as
Friedman mocks, lays bare, and pays homage to the classic pop song
structure. Obviously your QTF (quirk tolerance factor) may vary,
and you'll know within one or two tracks whether you love it or
hate it, but one thing you shouldn't do is ignore it.
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Mitch
is a Brooklyn, NY based songwriter whom Ray Davies described as
a "funny and interesting little man" after they'd met
during The Kinks frontman's weeklong songwriting course in England.
What's more, Ray liked the album's opening number "This Is
A Song" enough to feature it in his song-structure lessons.
Now if that's not enough, the same song is considered by Andy Partridge
(playing lead guitar on one of the album tracks) "a piece of
minimalist perfection, and perhaps the invention of a new genre
- obviousism". To get the complete picture, you'll have to
hear it for yourself. Some of the obvious reference points throughout
most of this funny little record, are the lysergic pop quirk of
Syd Barrett or Blossom Toes, or in a more contemporary way, the
one of XTC or They Might Be Giants. Also, in shape of the genuinely
Kinky "Keep It A Secret", we get proof of what a careful
pupil Mitch is.
Even
if your CD player is out of function, just as much fun is guaranteed
only by reading the lyrics!
--Goran
Obradovic
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Whimsical,
offbeat and quirky song craft seems to be a rare commodity nowadays.
Songs imbued with elements of comedy, music hall, vaudeville and
equal amounts of psych-folk-rock. Say hello to Mitch Friedman who
does the genre a tremendous service with this superb album.
Supported
by like minded luminaries like Andy Partridge/Dave Gregory (XTC),
Joe McGinty (Psychedelic Furs) & R. Stevie Moore, Friedman has
pulled a veritable cat from out of the hat (or is that rabbit out
of a bag?) with a slew of left-field gems that swell with ingenuity.
That
said, the slightly erudite quality of the music here may put off
the casual pop listen but fans of Syd Barrett, Ray Davies, Robyn
Hitchcock, Martin Newell will thrill to inventive tracks like Little
Masterpiece, The Man That Talked Too Much, As Moons Go and Often
I Saunter.
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