Balloon Squad
May Pangs and June Forays 7" (Gravity Dog)
by Marc Hirsh
Balloon Squad
May Pangs and June Forays 7" (Gravity Dog)
by Marc Hirsh
originally published in the Public News, November 22, 1995
I admire Balloon Squad to no end. In a world screaming for underground authenticity, it's great to see a band unafraid of putting out flat-out pop songs (in the Beatles mode) which also has a superb enough sense of humor to come up with a title like this.
This four-song EP starts out strong with bouncy "Crack of the Whip" and holds steady until the end. The acoustic-based sound is somewhat reminiscent of Uncle Green, but Balloon Squad provide better songs and more bite. "Still Mad At That Lenny Bruce" and "Bloated Drunken Bastard" come out better because of it.
Any band that is unafraid of 12-string electric guitar is fine by me. Balloon Squad go one better by using it right. More impressive is the rhythm section, which drives the songs with a touch more imagination than merely keeping the beat.