Bring on the Dancing Crocodiles

December 4, 2013 9:05 AM

Jeff Clark's review of the newest Echo And The Bunnymen release, "Crimes Of Passion" for Stomp And Stammer Magazine.
posted by Annika Cicada (17 comments total)

Ah Jeff Clark, famously cranky Atlanta music journalist. There was just a profile of him in Creative Loafing on the occasion of his magazine turning 17.
posted by Maaik at 9:15 AM on December 4, 2013 [2 favorites]

I hope it's better than that last Pixies single. Listening to that was like watching an aging former heavyweight champion die in the ring.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:22 AM on December 4, 2013 [3 favorites]

These guys have been around a long time, and it was a real shock to pick up and read their latest efforts on a visit back. They now seem to be under the delusion that they are now bold and iconoclastic political thinkers, due to the cliched and predictable Neal Boortz style sludge that oozes from their little magazine.
posted by thelonius at 9:25 AM on December 4, 2013

I was looking for a good link for Jeff Clark, that review is great, Maaik!
posted by Annika Cicada at 9:26 AM on December 4, 2013

Huh. Well I guess I'll have to check it out.

A few years ago I was buying some old Echo singles off ebay, and I realized I was buying them from Will Sergeant. Weird, but he was really nice about it.
posted by lumpenprole at 9:40 AM on December 4, 2013 [6 favorites]

So am I giving away the joke here by pointing out this isn't actually an Echo and The Bunnymen album but an album by a band named Crocodiles?
posted by Joey Michaels at 9:43 AM on December 4, 2013 [4 favorites]

By way of comparison, the Pitchfork review.
posted by Joey Michaels at 9:46 AM on December 4, 2013

Stomp and Stammer, probably the only right wing indie, alt-monthly in the world.

Georgia is a funny place.
posted by GalaxieFiveHundred at 10:18 AM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

Jeff Clark is more crank than cranky.
posted by trox at 10:32 AM on December 4, 2013 [2 favorites]

Just to give some more perspective, Clark doesn't save his trolling for the Internet, or even his little rag - he brings it on in real life as well. I once watched him do his damnedest to provoke a bar fight with people who didn't seem to want a punch up. That's class.

His bizarre Bircher ranting aside, I just don't want to help promote someone whose idea of fun involves ruining other people's evening.
posted by rock swoon has no past at 10:54 AM on December 4, 2013

Well, Crocodiles and DumDum Girls are two of my favorite bands and I thought the review was funny as hell. Kind of sad to find out Jeff Clark is a bit of an ass in real life, but this review struck me as wry and noteworthy.
posted by Annika Cicada at 11:11 AM on December 4, 2013

Hey, that's a pretty good magazine.
posted by spilon at 12:06 PM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

Stomp and Stammer definitely has an... interesting editorial voice. I read it much like eating a whole fish: Chew carefully, swallow nothing whole. There's some good tidbits in there but there's a lot of... other stuff. Or just put it and Chunklet in a cage match and let them fight it out. Somewhere in the middle you'll learn a ton about the Southeastern US music scene.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 12:06 PM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

As a former Atlantan, I'd never thought I'd see the name Jeff Clark nor Stomp & Stammer on the Blue.

The world is a funny place.
posted by Kitteh at 12:57 PM on December 4, 2013

The Card Cheat: "I hope it's better than that last Pixies single. Listening to that was like watching an aging former heavyweight champion die in the ring."

And Paul McCartney's new single, "I Used to Be in the Beatles", is like watching your great-uncle show you his vacation pics. With a mildly catchy radio song on in the background.
posted by IAmBroom at 1:01 PM on December 4, 2013 [2 favorites]

So am I giving away the joke here by pointing out this isn't actually an Echo and The Bunnymen album but an album by a band named Crocodiles?

Yes, I had mentally composed a screed about how awful and lazy the last few Echo albums were compared to the majesty of the first six.
Now my spiteful invective has died on the vine.

On the plus side, I know that The Fountain is the last Echo album so far. And if you had not pointed out the snark I should have missed it. So, thanks!

And Paul McCartney's new single, "I Used to Be in the Beatles",

I am almost sad this is not actually his single.
posted by Mezentian at 2:19 AM on December 5, 2013

I tried to keep it "more honest" by putting satire in the tags and not linking echo and the bunnymen :-)
posted by Annika Cicada at 11:51 AM on December 5, 2013