I love this Kid Koala album. Hearing it is like meeting your friend who just got back from Europe and he's got a lot of interesting stories about how they drive on the other side of the road. You're just sipping on your coke and nodding your head, like "tell me more!" The best part of this record is that it's a form of pure music. For one thing, none of this can be played out in a club, none of this will break top 40 radio, and all of it came from one kid's brain. The album is 15 tracks, dense with scribbles and short in length. Like the previous LP, the Kid makes records out of records, and drops nerd-funk on "Stompin at Le Savoi," geek-ska uprock on "Skanky Panky," and dirtstyle electro-dork on the D-Styles produced "Annie's Parlor." Once again, these tracks are more concept skits than songs, and many of them are kind of a part two to tracks from Carpal Tunnel. For example, "Robochacha" forces a self-conscious robot to shake it, "Elevator Hopper" forces that same eternal virgin from "Bar Hopper" in an elevator with a snarky blonde, and "Basin Street Blues" is an updated "Drunk Trumpet." On my favorite track "On the Set of Fender Bender," you get kind of a behind the scenes filming of the video with a melancholy and beautiful violin sample. You gotta hear it cause it's hard to explain, but it gets my vote for most original track of 2003. But don't take my word for it, decide for yourself and get in touch with your inner koala. Also includes a 50 page comic by the Kid.

• black vinyl pressing
• includes 50 page miniature comic book
  
• digital download included
  
• original release year: 2003
• music label: Ninja Tune 2013

reviewed by the woodman 10/2003