Remember the goofball kid in class making fun of everything to get some attention? Then as the years go by you realize he was about three steps ahead of everyone in the smarts department. By the time you caught on, it was your high school class’ 25th reunion. And he decided to pass on the festivities.
That kid is Milwaukee’s Couch Flambeau. Always the easiest band to figure out with short, angular songs and lyrics built on zany punk rawk humor. But maybe not. Over the years it became apparent the yuks were simply a veneer for something deeper, if you cared to think about it.
The new eight song 12”, Bunny Hideout (It's Only A Record Records), gets the drop with cover art that is a sideways homage to Roger Dean’s album covers for the band Yes. The inner sleeve pays tribute to Atlantic Records. Guitarist/vocalist Jay Tiller says he made the initial image back when he was an art student at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and was resurrected for this record.
True to form, the songs on Bunny Hideout retain the dark, absurdist humor in the lyrics and music that is as challenging as Frank Zappa and as catchy as the Beatles. If you are looking for traditional verse/chorus song structures, though, you might have to look elsewhere.
Many years from now, anyone wanting to learn a whole lot about our internet age, will only need to listen to “Blogger Bill.” The lyrics hold a mirror up to the phenomena so many of us have been wasting our time with in the recent past—“Berating his readers while simultaneously lusting for their attention.” Ironically, in this attention-span-challenged era, it is the only song on the record over three minutes.
In a self-referential lyric, (and continuing with tradition,) Cudahy gets a mention in “Funky Christmas.” With “The Pack is Back,” the band look at the omnipresent football culture that is ingrained in local culture.
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Now in Their Fourth Decade?
Formed in 1982, bassist Neil Socol and Tiller welcomed drummer Rusty Olson to the ranks in 1996. (Socol: Couch Flambeau had finally found their Ringo. Jay still gets emotional when talking about it.)
Why did they decide it was time the world heard the next Couch Flambeau album? “The world had stopped rocking and was in a sad state of affairs,” Socol says. “We had to do our part.” Tiller agrees, “A few years ago. We decided it was time for a record to be made that was pure rock. Drive your car with the windows down and blast-it ROCK MUSIC. New rock music you can blast in your car when the sun is finally out is in short supply.”
How does a band keep on keepin’ on for nearly four decades? By being realistic and pragmatic. Socol runs down the band’s strategy. “Our goal for the band is to be self-sustaining. The money we earn today finances the next project. There is minimal outside investment. In the past, playing shows was a big part of that. Right now, we just sell records.”
Olson sees working on the record during the pandemic was a positive experience, “I think it was a great way of staying productive and really focused on the project. Not much in the way of distractions with rehearsals or shows to worry about.”
Tiller on the other hand just might have found some raw material for future Couch Flambeau songs. “The pandemic only affected the delivery of the master tapes to Chicago Mastering Service so Bob Weston could master them, which were previously recorded at Electrical Audio in Chicago, pre-pandemic. I drove the Hemi Dodge to Chicago, and all the toll booths were closed. It took me one minute with my covid mask on to drop off the tapes.”
He recalls, “On my way out of Chicago, I drove past a closed toll booth, and then I saw an open toll booth. I drove into the open toll booth and attempted to pay the toll. The toll would not accept my payment. I drove off, the toll booth took a photo of my Wisconsin plates, and Illinois sent me a bill for all of the tolls I didn't pay plus a $12 fee.”
Trivia: An uncredited cameo by Electrical Audio owner Steve Albini’s cat Pip makes an appearance on the record. Keen-eyed listeners will note: The Walrus was Bunny.
