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Cult sensations The Mommyheads have never made a bad album. They\u2019ve also never achieved anything close to the mainstream success they so richly deserve. Clever in the extreme, the NYC-based group also turns out supremely melodic music; The Mommyheads are that rare creature, one that makes winning and accessible music that is intelligent without being too arch for mass consumption.<\/p>\n
In recent years, the group has embarked upon a project of reissuing its early material; The Mommyeads boast a deep catalog. One title that seemed to escape the reissue effort was the band\u2019s 1989 debut, Acorn<\/i>. Dating from a full eight years before the group\u2019s brief major-label dalliance (cough Geffen cough), Acorn<\/i> is fourteen tracks of Mommyheads in their earliest form. The group bore little resemblance to its current configuration, with only founding member and primary Mommyhead Adam (Elk) Cohen on board.<\/p>\n
As hinted at above, the music is accessible, but only if one grades on a curve. \u201cCactus Farm\u201d seems to run at two speeds at once: the instruments careen along with abandon while the vocals flow sweetly atop them. Weird, but it works. \u201cGravity\u201d has a jazz combo feel, though it\u2019s certainly not jazz. Some of the tunes seem quirky for the sake of, well, quirkiness, but there\u2019s nothing wrong with that. The Mommyheads\u2019 skewed take on pop wasn\u2019t yet full developed, but the seeds of their particular brilliance had already been sown, and Acorn<\/i> more than hints at the greatness to come.<\/p>\n
\u201cSong About Norman\u201d is a more dissonant take on the sort of thing Camper Van Beethoven would explore. \u201cDance for Me\u201d shows The Mommyheads to be kindred spirits with The Residents, Frank Zappa and other outliers. \u201cUncle Joe\u2019s Barbecue\u201d is only slightly less bizarre. \u201cTie This Dragon Down\u201d applies pop values more strangeness. The angular \u201cBetween the Moon and the Sun\u201d is catchy in its own way, suggesting Violent Femmes with a sharper sense of whimsy. \u201cSpace Jazz\u201d does in fact suggest the influence of Sun Ra, crossed with a bit of Esquivel or Martin Denny. \u201cAt the Mall\u201d again recalls Violent Femmes and Camper Van Beethoven.<\/p>\n
A decidedly strange set, Acorn<\/i> isn\u2019t the ideal entry point into The Mommheads\u2019 world. But it\u2019s an important piece of the puzzle, and recommended to anyone who appreciates the group\u2019s unique artistry.<\/p>\n