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Beat Happening
Jamboree


3.5
great

Review

by The Jungler USER (183 Reviews)
December 27th, 2006 | 15 replies


Release Date: 1988 | Tracklist


When I first heard Beat Happening I was disgusted.

I listened to their second CD, Jamboree, after reading an extensive and highly praising profile in the now mx famous Our Band Could Be Your Life. Grunge writer Michael Azerrad kept calling the band a brilliant, essential indie rock group, but I guess I didn’t see that. Lead singer (if you could call that) Calvin Johnson drones on in a tuneless baritone voice over sloppy musicianship, repeating lyrics of almost bothersome cuteness. He sounds like a retarded Ian Curtis hosting a TV special on child development, using uses flowery, pathetic sexual metaphors like they’re going out of style. He and guitarist, Bret Lunsford play limp riffs through treble washed distortion to the basic at best pounding of Heather Lewis, the band’s female third member (she does vocals too). It’s enough to make any sane man reach for the cyanide. I kept on wondering why anyone would write a praising article on them. Was this some sort of joke? I sure wasn’t getting this stuff.

But I like them now, so that doesn’t really matter.

Beat Happening are one of the first and most successful bands of a style of music known as Twee Pop (also called Love Rock, sometimes Cuddlecore). The band takes heavy influences from Post Punk giants like The Smiths, though their crunchy, often grating musicianship is hardly an homage to the sweet jangle pop Morrissey and pals used to cook up. In fact, the band has a much more distinct similarity to 60’s suck poppers The Shaggs, with one difference. Beat Happening can write. And I mean that, Johnson, Lunsford and Lewis are certainly not retarded. Their happy-go-lucky naivety and near talent-less instrumentation are a slap in the face to the cookie cutter punk scene thriving around the Washington (that’s the state mind you) indie rockers, making them a rebellion against a rebellion against modern, popular music. Beat Happening are a biting ode to the 1950’s, when times were simple and people were friendly, be it a bite with color coded braces or not.

The music of Beat Happening is, while hard to get into, actually kind of enjoyable when you get down to it. On Mid Night A Go-Go the music is at its most “rock”, with a highly danceable swing beat from Lewis and a brilliant, if simple, riff from Lunsford, culminating in, what’s this? Yes, a guitar solo. Calvin also has one of his best vocals on the track, showing a surprising amount of energy hidden inside his tuneless moan. But Calvin’s most touching track on the CD is the almost a cappella The This Many Boyfriends Club, which finds him wailing angrily about the mistreatment of his female friend Laurie, over red hot, ear splitting feedback. It’s the sort of song that opens your eyes, because behind the screeches and the moans is a troubled, frightful array of emotion and power. Xiu Xiu should be taking notes here.

Another semi straight forward rocker, Bewitched, is on the other end of the emotional spectrum. Calvin’s silly lyrics bring a smile to my face every time I hear them and Lunsford also certainly delivers, with his red hot riffage injecting a full dose of rockin’ distortion to the song’s Love Rock beat. On the songs Heather sings the band takes a completely different feel, though remaining incredibly naïve and detached. Her girlish vocals succeed in bringing in even more Shaggs to the band’s interesting mix of influences.

In conclusion, Beat Happening’s self proclaimed “dark and sexy” sophomore disc is certainly a step away from their previous, sunnier material. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily, as the disc delivers in many aspects and, in fact, it seems as though the darker, more in your face tracks are the album’s most brilliant. Do I love Beat Happening’s Jamboree? No, not really, for all the reasons mentioned earlier in the review, but it is certainly a great indie rock record.

-Joe



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user ratings (95)
3.6
great


Comments:Add a Comment 
AnyColour74
December 27th 2006


1054 Comments


Excellent job, very informative. As for the Beat Happening, they're alright, but a little to bland.

Zebra
Moderator
December 27th 2006


2647 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

This is my least favorite Beat Happening album. The band is at their best when they play really short songs that are barely over a minute long. Like you said it's a good record and all but their s/t album is way better.

The Jungler
December 27th 2006


4826 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

I've been listening to songs from the self titled and they seem much better. I only checked this out first because Allmusic and that book, Our Band Could Be Your Life said this was their best effort.

Thanks for the votes guys.

AlienEater
December 27th 2006


716 Comments


I'm really interested in these guys, great review.

Two-Headed Boy
December 27th 2006


4527 Comments


Guess what I'm listening to?

Also Recommended by Reviewer:

The Smiths - The Queen is Dead

Thash right, punk.

Great review, ol' chap. Sounds like a good album.

Neoteric
February 17th 2008


3243 Comments


this album reminds me of a more traditional Shaggs.

Eliminator
February 17th 2008


2067 Comments


maybe a shaggs that can play their instruments and write songs

robertsona
Staff Reviewer
August 22nd 2011


28180 Comments


i think this is one of the worst albums ever, not an exaggeration

ethos
December 3rd 2013


1894 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

dude

AcidCaravan
January 25th 2014


504 Comments


Fookin cool album

NorthernSkylark
September 26th 2014


12134 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

such a lovely album



indian summer, cat walk and midnight a go-go are my faves

SandwichBubble
June 16th 2018


13812 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

"If the first Beat Happening was a child it would be the little brother who makes crayon scribble drawings and insists that you hang them up on the fridge. Jamboree is his older brother who wears a leather jacket, listens to weird music, and steals your cigarettes." - RYM-user andrewkennedyevans

Nailed it

Zorg
November 1st 2018


583 Comments

Album Rating: 1.5

They're not coy, they're irritating. Bland as aesthetic. Barf.

SandwichBubble
November 1st 2018


13812 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

https://youtu.be/WIIvpPGYjLs?t=11

calmrose
January 6th 2020


6999 Comments


so good

Digging: Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere



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