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:: Klaus Flouride - Gruesome Stains ::

Between 1982 and 1985, the Dead Kennedys took a break from recording, allowing band members to work on other projects. Bassist Klaus Flouride produced some Alternative Tentacles releases for other bands and recorded his own mini-lp, “Cha-Cha-Cha with Mr. Flouride,” which tongue-in-cheekly promises to deliver songs to “cha-cha-cha the night away” while giving us tracks that would be hard to tap your foot to, let alone dance.

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Instruments consist mainly of cheesy synths, cheap sound effects, drum machines, and twangy country guitar goodness, with Flouride playing them all himself (except on the rockabilly, “My Linda”, featuring DK drummer, D.H. Peligro on drums and Ricky Sludge on piano). This is a simple, yet diverse and fun album, filled with sarcasm and humor. Standouts are a dry, insincere version of the country standard, “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” and “Dead Prairie Dogs”, the ruminations of a cowboy who “tortures cows and tortures cattle” for a living, yet goes berserk when he sees dead prairie dogs on the side of the road. Most eerie is this Negativland-ish sounding cut, “Gruesome Stains”, an edited tape loop of outtakes for a cleanser commercial, set to dark synth tones, pulses, and slowed down voices for a sort of demonic result. Have a listen, but first make sure to slip into your best Latin dancing shoes.


Phil

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