If David Byrne took any randomly-selected Elephant Six band under his wing, the result would probably sound a lot like Ross And The Hellpets. Head Hellpet Ross Beach is no stranger to Elephant Six formula, himself playing a significant role in their early years, but here he injects enough individuality to separate Ross and the Hellpets from the rest. There is a definite strangeness to Teddy Bears Gone Bad -- even the title hints at that -- but this is no novelty act. It's quirky, no doubt, but there's substance in the madness that Ross Beach and his cohorts create.
Backed by odd, B-52-esque vocals, "Sink Or Swim" opens the twenty-five minute disc and serves as a good indication of what to expect from the next ten tracks. Most of the songs here fall under the two minute mark, and in that short span of time you can look forward to simple melodies and strange but satisfying lyrical content.
Highlights include the harmony filled "Evil And Bad", "The Pink House", with a friendly tune and lyrics that threaten a jump from a "very tall building", the rocking and somewhat bitter "For The Record" and the most melancholy of all the songs, the appropriately titled "You Make Me Tired".
Beach, the consummate band hopper, has found in The Hellpets his nineteenth band formation. Yes, nineteen. Previous stints include Neutral Milk Hotel (circa 1994) and The Gerbils. This is usually the part where the reviewer says something along the lines of, "Beach finally found the winning formula and got it right!", but that doesn't apply here. The fact is, he's rarely gotten it wrong, and Ross And The Hellpets are no exception. It's amazing that time and again, Beach manages to surround himself with such talented bandmates. For those familiar with his previous efforts, Teddy Bears Gone Bad will be more than a gratifying listen, while newcomers will soon find themselves combing the record store stacks for Beach's other material.
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