Free from the shackles of their major label, Butthole Surfers are finally free to release the album they made almost three decades ago. Butthole Surfers was born out of Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary’s shared distaste for mainstream music whilst in college at San Antonio, Texas. Back in 1998, after the Billboard success with their single ‘Pepper’ off their seventh album ‘Electriclarryland’ released two years prior in 1996, the band were due to release ‘After the Astronaut’ when their label pulled it at the last minute due to it not being mainstream enough. Their label had envisioned another mainstream hit like ‘Pepper’, but Butthole Surfers didn’t become a band to be mainstream hit makers, they took pleasure in creating obscure sounds. The band explored electronics, industrial beats, acid grooves, and psychedelic sounds.
‘After the Astronaut’ was a fun, experimental project that was true to who the Butthole Surfers were as a band. The band had poured so much enthusiasm into the making of the album, creating sounds from their new electronic toys, and were devastated when it was pulled from release. Music is a way of self-expression, and to have to keep locked away what you have poured into and created must be heartbreaking. The band reworked the album and released a more palatable version titled ‘Weird Revolutions’ in 2001. The band were uncomfortable with this decision but were tied to the label. Only now do they have the freedom to put out the album as they intended it to be heard all those years ago.
It’s the perfect record for my ADHD brain. So many different noises making my brain quieten down and simply listen. The album is interesting, but I’m surprised it was once shelved for being too obscure. It may have been written almost 30 years ago, but the spoken word rings through in today’s society. It reminds me of a CD I once got out of a DJ magazine back in the late 90s, early 2000s. Especially as it flows into a more chilled and relaxed flow state halfway through, almost meditative in parts.
The album has a diverse mix of sounds. If I were to describe the sound to someone, I would say it’s a mix of Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Prodigy, progressive house—think Global Underground mixes by Sasha and John Digweed, Sublime, and late night tv. The kind that would be on Channel 4 at 2 a.m. back in the 90s. It’s fantastically weird! Some noises keep me on edge, like the screeching guitar sounds in ‘Intelligent Guy’ and the broadcasting sounds on ‘The Last Astronaut’, whilst the album mainly puts me in a deeply relaxed state. Especially with chilled tracks like ‘Junkie Jenny In Gaytown’. I guess the soundscape of the album draws similarities to the mind. Sometimes we are in deep relaxation and happilygoing on with life, and then with a curveball, we can be stressed and scattered.
I imagine this album will be polarising like Marmite. You’ll either love it or hate it, but that’s okay because it was made out of experimental enjoyment, not for the masses.The lead single ‘Jet Fighter’ is an anti-war protest song that still sadly echoes in today’s society. Gibby Haynes sings about a man who enlisted in the military and let his missiles fly. The song has a surf-punk vibe to it with psychedelic rock filtered through a thrift store PA system. Paul Leary’s favourite track on the album is ‘I Don’t Have a Problem’. King Coffey showed up to the studio one day with a device that could listen in on other people’s phone conversations. They set up the machine and heard a guy talking about girls with ‘knives and daggers’, so they turned it into the song. – This album is unconventional, and the earwigging on people’s conversations is questionable to say the least. All in all, I found it to be interesting and enjoyable, but I love all the above bands and music I drew similarities to. It’s an interesting melting pot but also incredibly unique to Butthole Surfers.
After The Astronaut will be released on June 26th via Sunset Blvd Records.
The post Butthole Surfers – After The Astronaut appeared first on ThePunkSite.com.