Little Brian, Thrash Funk

Let me just start out by saying I guess I just don’t get it. I can dig some funk. I can dig some jazz. I can dig some metal. I just don’t like the mix that Little Brian puts out into the world. Small parts of the album are good, but then they switch parts, and it just sounds horrid. Thrash Funk is the debut album from this Austin-based band, originally from Denton, and apparently their live show is quite something with the nine piece band plus a man in a chicken suit. I’ve seen quite a few bands like this, and they get their fair share of fans because they are “weird” or “crazy,” but I need more substance than that. Little Brian is probably chock full of some pretty decent jazz and funk musicians, but the way the parts of the songs come together does nothing to show off their talent. I think that speaks to their musical taste more than anything. There seems to be some book by the same name (by Tarah Damask) that also adds to their demented shtick, and the book’s concept actually seems kind of cool if it’s written well. Anytime a band’s shtick is bigger than its sound, though, it really turns me off. The music should stand up on its own, something that doesn’t happen with this album.