Customer Reviews

Bargainville

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have loved Fruvous for a long time now, and I love watching the stellar reviews that their albums get. I hope that people will read them and buy the album; more people need to listen to Moxy Fruvous.

But before you think, "Oh, a fun record! Let's buy it!", a word to the wise. While Fruvous has some flippin' hysterical songs, some of them are, in fact, tragic. And Bargainville is absolutely no exception. Fruvous likes to have fun, true, but they rarely miss an opportunity for outspoken politics and biting social commentary. They also write brilliant love songs. These undertones, which you don't hear if you casually listen to Fruvous, make fans think, and bands that make people think usually aren't that popular in mainstream music.

So don't miss what they're -really- saying in songs, especially listen for: *Laika (This song has such stinging desperation in it...it's all in the lyrics. One of the best Fruvous songs, hands down) *Video Bargainville (of course fun, but a great commentary on independent businesses) *The Drinking Song (live, this song is even more incredible, but the slight humour is only trying to soften the blow of a senseless death)

If you're willing to really listen to some good music, with pointed lyrics that never waste words, incredible harmonies, and good old-fashioned fun (how many other accordian solos have you heard lately?), then try Bargainville. Or any other Fruvous album...you can actually be rewarded for thinking about life.

Okay, I'm biased. I've been a Fruhead for 3 years, though I've only seen 8 shows. Moxy Fruvous, according to me, is the best band in the entire universe. This is the CD that made me a Fruhead for life. I love every track on this album. Every one of them. There are so many good things about Fruvous, and this CD shows off most of them. They flow from genre to genre; there are fast rock songs, beautiful pop ballads, wickedly satirical folk songs, crazy goofy energetic a cappella, and even a sweet lullaby in French. Oh, and they do some of the best harmonies I've ever heard. They all sing, they all play, they all write.

I can get up and dance to "King of Spain," and then grin at their erudition while listening to "Authors"; hey, I've read those authors too! And how can you not love a band that covers "Spiderman"? If all you wanted was a fun, bouncy CD, about half of this one would be perfect. But there's more to it than that.

What makes this CD really special is the serious songs. As I progress further into the CD, I keep having to stop, and savor the music and harmonies, and say, "That was beautiful." On "River Valley," when the four voices hold the line "Coming home, it felt like God," you just know this is going to be something really good. Then comes the gorgeous, intricate a cappella bridge in "BJ Don't Cry," an otherwise bouncy song. "Fell in Love" is a sad song with, once again, stunning harmonies. "The Drinking Song," for me, is wrapped up in memories of standing with arms around the shoulders of strangers, swaying, singing and even making the "played some Nintendo" gestures -- wonderful and sad, with the tiniest spark of humor.

And then there's "Gulf War Song." It's a cappella. It's perfection. It's my favorite Fruvous song, and possibly my favorite song ever. I'd pay full price for this song alone. I can listen to it over and over. It's not whiny or preachy at all, as some political-themed music can be. Just listen to it.

I normally don't praise CDs this much, but this one deserves it. A quick warning: if you're uncomfortable with liberal political themes, if you think harmonies are wussy, if you don't want music that makes you think, then this may not be the right album or the right band for you. But it's right for me.

I am addressing this review to you.

You have never heard of this band before. You were just browsing around on-line and you came across this page. Or you heard the name "somewhere", you can't remember where, and you came here to check it out.

You're desperately searching for that next album you can fall hopelessly in love with. You want to learn all the words. You want to sing them at the top of your voice. You want an album that you can hardly even listen to *without* singing along.

You want to find your new favorite band. You want them to have a deep back catalog from which you can slowly but surely fill out your collection, and you want to be shocked over and over again with each additional disc you buy to find that you love it as much as the first.

You're sick to death of artists who got famous based on their hipness, their image. Shouldn't musicians have to have *talent* to sell records?, you lament. You don't necessarily want a band to be dorky, but you want them to not care whether you think they're dorky or not, and just make great music.

You may or may not be a fan of They Might Be Giants, but you've heard their more "quirky" songs, and you aren't put off by them.

You love the Beatles.

You don't want "epic soundscapes" or "phat beats" or any kind of soulless genre exercise. You hunger for the kind of band where every song they release is unique and special and worthy of your love.

Maybe you're six years old. Maybe you're sixty.

I think you know where this is going.

Moxy Fruvous is the band you're looking for! And Bargainville is their best album. It's an excellent cross-section of all the many things that make them a truly great band.

I cannot believe that music like this can be had for ...bucks.

Moxy Fruvous must scratch their heads when they consider the Barenaked Ladies.

Canadian origins aside, both bands have peppy songs packed with pop-culture references and in-jokes, while boasting strong musicianship that is folksy and rocking at once. So why does everyone know the Barenaked Ladies and not Fruvous?

Better known in their Canadian homeland than anywhere else, Moxy Fruvous was celebrated among folk festival junkies for their live rap version of Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham" and an unholy - and hilarious - hybrid of Lou Reed's "Walk On the Wild Side" and ABBA's "Dancing Queen". If either prospect sounds promising, then Moxy Fruvous and their debut CD, Bargainville, are for you.

The first single from the CD, the catchy "Stuck in the 90s", chronicles the trials of a Generation X everyman, but the band relies more on humor than heavy-handedness to make its point, rhyming "cool fiscal plannin'" with "Pat Buchanan."

Another standout is the delightfully goofy "King of Spain", in which the song's narrator bemoans his fall from kinghood to his current job vacuuming turf at the SkyDome. Recorded with only mild percussion, the band's "international orchestra" are its four great harmonies.

The band also proves to be prescient with "The Drinking Song", a strong anti-war ditty that quotes "And the band played on" and Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene," and the Gulf War Song, which was about Bush Sr. but could be about his son ("fighters for Texaco, fighters for Power, fighters for longer turns in the shower").

Moxy Fruvous is one of those bands that is difficult to describe. They are silly, smart, politically charged and witty songwriters and write catchy tunes laden with harmony, satire and accordian. Think They Might Be Giants or Barenaked Ladies...then think again.

This album is the high point for the band. The album is much more raw than their later efforts and delivers a very clean sound that will be unique to most listeners.

The highlight of this album, like ALL Fruvous albums, is the bands wonderful vocal arrangements. Every song on the album features all four of the members' voices singing some of the best harmonies you'll hear in modern music.

Pick up this album. You'll not be disappointed.

If you only buy one record this year, there's something terribly wrong with you. and if there is something terribly wrong with you, this album is your cure. Well, it's a step in the right direction anyway. Okay, so it wouldn't actually help you, because it's just a record, but I digress. If you like the quirk of They Might Be Giants (and not just Particle Man) and you like some pop, and you like vocal harmonies that will make you weep at their perfection and... well, I could continue but I'm sure the only people reading this have at least some idea of what I'm talking about, so 'nuff said. This album I would consider to be the bestest of all that which is Fruvous and it needs to be heard to be understood. You know you want to hear it, your brain just hasn't told you yet. Do yourself a favor and buy this album if you haven't already. Your brain will thank you. Or something.

This is album is just plain fantastic.

After letting a friend borrow this for a while, I popped it back in and forgot how great it was. From the opening of "River Valley", to the ending of "Gulf War Song", this record puts you through happy danceable tracks (King of Spain, Darlington Darling, The Lazy Boy) to desperate cries of isolation (Laika,[the best track by the way] Fell in Love, Stuck in the 90s) to outright fun (My baby loves a bunch of authors, Spiderman)

When people look back on the 90s, moxy fruvous will be one of the groups that deserve recognition, along with Radiohead, Moby, and Kriss Kross. (just kidding)

Whether you enjoy catchy pop tunes, accapella, or ballads, this album's for you. But all of the tunes have one thing in common - intelligent lyrics. Moxy Fruvous is definitely a band who makes you think. My personal fave off the album is "Bittersweet". This is certainly one of their best albums.

I saw these guys on CBS Sunday Morning and was interested enough that I picked up a copy of this CD later in the day. Somehow I had never heard of them before, but I'm glad I have now. A great CD - a lot of fun. If you're a fan of They Might be Giants, you'll appreciate Moxy's intelligent, little pop songs. I look forward to listening to some of their other stuff and even seeing them live. In the meantime, though, you can't go wrong with this CD.

This is, I think, the best album for a listener new to Moxy Fruvous. The tight, edgy harmonies and lucid, often pointed lyrics call to mind a mixture of Tom Lehrer, Beatles, and They Might Be Giants, with some warped barbershop thrown in for good measure. It's both off-the-wall creative and full of heart, featuring such staples as King of Spain (one of the few Fruvous songs I've heard on the radio) along with lesser known tracks (including my personal favorite, the lyrical and poignant "Fell in Love," which details the relationship of two people who have absolutely nothing in common). This album is also outspokenly political. If political music usually bothers you, this album might just change your mind. In less capable hands, issue-oriented songs like "Gulf War Song" or "River Valley" might come off as preachy. But these songs approach war, the environment et al in a very fresh, personal way. I highly recommend this album to someone who wants music that stands up well to repeated listenings. You won't get tired of this.