Customer Reviews

Toxic Swamp and Other Love Songs

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A mixture of very humourous surreal songs and some excellent serious ones. My favorite surreal one is Toxic Swamp, in which the swamp reptiles manage to find a way round the technological problems inherent in not having an opposable thumb. Of the serious songs, I'd recommend "Don't Get Obsessed" and the cover version of "Help Me Rhonda" which is much better than the original. Kenny's voice can genuinely send a shiver down your spine.

The Eggplants' second album artfully displays the band's talent for combining catchy melodies and riffs with smart, funny, sometimes touching, and often off-center lyrics.

Songs like "Earl the Squirrel" and the "The Aye Aye Song" will have you singing to yourself long after the CD has gone off, the wordplay in songs like "There's Something Funny in the Water" and "Don't Get Obsessed" will have you discovering new angles with each listen, and, songs like "Alien Love Song" and the Beach Boys' "Help Me Rhonda" are downright pretty (yes, you read correctly, listen to the CD to see for yourself).

Every song on "Toxic Swamp" is strong, from the gonzo humor of "Rambo Goes Shopping" (with its refrain of "Forget the sales dear, let's go home") and the title track (which actually gets a laugh out of the phrase "opposable thumbs"), to the plaintive ballad "Love is Adventurous," to the wistful "The Kebob Shop" (the slow version), to the flamenco-influenced instrumental "The Cookie Song."

"Toxic Swamp" features meatier production and arrangement than the band's debut CD. Fortunately, the tweaking works, not interfering with the band members' abilities to perfectly fill their roles: singer/guitarist Kenny Young, bass player (and blood-curdling screamer) Gil Shuster, and percussionist Ed Logue.

"Toxic Swamp" is one of those rare discs that can be termed "smart," while also being one of the most fun collection of songs you'll hear. Maybe that's why these guys enjoy some serious popularity in the U.K. Do yourself a favor and pick up this disc. You won't be disappointed.

The Eggplants display their stunning pop sophistication on their sophomore effort, "Toxic Swamp." The CD combines great tunes, surreal funny lyrics, and surprisingly complex melodic textures. Listen to this CD a few times and you'll find yourself humming "Kebab Shop," "Alien Love Song," and "The Aye-Aye Song" without being aware you're doing it. Listen a few more times and you'll begin to hear new parts in each song that are so subtly blended in you'll swear you never heard them before. Truly a cool CD, well worth trying, with high replay value. Highly recommended.

I had a chance to see this rock/folk/way-out group live about 2 months ago in upstate NY. They are 3 very talented men who also happen to be extremely funny. The CD is a mixture of tender, poetic songs and clever, crazy tunes with hysterical lyrics. I'd recommend any Kenny Young and the Eggplants album for both the great musical quality and the original, entertaining topics they explore. This group is great fun!

I bought this album after seeing these guys live. (Actually I bought it during seeing these guys live.) I listen to it over and over. Great lyricists. Great music. Alien Love Song is great. Really a classic tune, made even more poignant to those of us who commuted through, worked in, or had the World Trade Center as part of our daily lives. I would hope they keep that song, lyrically intact, in their future sets.
And if you get to see them do The Cookie Song live, well, you get free cookies...