(from CWSY#6, August '01) / home / reviews index

John Bartles - 'Liar'

He claims that this is his 42nd album. He sings like Barney Gumble. Would YOU trust him?

It's sometimes hard to tell when Mr. Bartles is being ironic. 'Let's Obsess About Death' is obviously critical and rightly so, dismissing much of the lyrical matter of some of our most successful bands; elsewhere this New York State singer growls about the stupidity of "trying to get a piece of that American dream" - on a track stupidly called 'I Can't Get Ahead Without A Guillotine'. Lyrics are often corny and so is the delivery: 'Vampire State Express' obviously mentions Transylvania, and obviously Bartles even rolls the 'r' in the word. Still, that doesn't stop it being quite funny and listenable. Some simple two-chord beat pop (though with strange progressive solos) poses the "eternal question", 'Who Flung Poo?', while the question is raised in the opening song as to whether Bartles defends the freedom of his first-person protagonist to go 'Drinkin' In The Bible Belt', or whether he's taking the piss - "I was just looking for some nookie / Don't haul my ass in, you probably know my friend Jack Ookie". Is he the type of would-be serious artiste who gets onto compilations of 'weird amateur shit' without realising why his music is classified as 'weird'? Whatever, it's better to pass the time listening to this surf-blues rockabilly trash than to be debating its intent. The totally unmelodic vocals do get wearing once onto track 8, 'I Licked the Sores of the Babylon Whore', but party song (it's got a trumpet!) 'Unless You're Naked' and the filthy 'Stiff One For The Road' help to confirm at least that Bartles isn't another "fat and stupid complacent American".

J. Bartles, PO Box 106, Livonia Center, NY, 14488, USA.