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After an enthusiastic reception to his first volume of home recordings, 1984-1990 (HHBTM, 2011), Dead Milkmen guitarist, Joe Jack Talcum, graciously presents his humble sequel.
Assembled from self-released cassette tapes, sometimes featuring friends, Home Recordings 1993-1999 showcases Talcum’s talent as a songwriter and lo-fi 4-track producer. It’s an intimate affair, ranging in moods and tones. While the humorous element of The Dead Milkmen is certainly evident, there is also darkness, solitude and reflection, sometimes all within the same song, as on the jangling “Sense of Humor” and “Go,” an astounding psychedelic funeral dirge. Even “The Sun Shines out of My Asshole” proves to be more Dead Boys/Rocket From The Tombs “Sonic Reducer” catharsis than glib crudity, while the instrumental, “Sweet and Sour,” offers some astounding new wave prog and “Another Time” proves to be a pretty folk song with a synthesizer solo. These songs are heartfelt, honest and pure, the thoughts of a grown up punk kid from Pennsylvania.
Anyone expecting The Dead Milkmen’s snotty, satirical punk should pull out their old albums. This is Joe Jack Talcum’s moment in all his tape hiss-y, introverted glory, as fans surely already know.
