CHUMBAWAMBA. - Review - sound recording review

WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) (Republic/Universal)

"I get knocked down, but I get up again" was the breakthrough shout-out from England's Chumbawamba, but it won't be their last. Chumbawamba's cynical satires, pop-song parodies, and punch-drunk political slogans never complicate what is essentially an anti--pop culture boot camp on the follow-up to their smash album Tubthumping. They do resurrect the Bee Gees' "New York Mining Disaster" to odd perfection, but what you really remember are the biting one-liners that erupt like Lenny Bruce sampled for mass consumption. "Pretty children are popular, ugly children are cynical" pops out from "Hey Hey We're The Junkies," while "Jesus in Vegas, taking care of business" (from "Jesus in Vegas") hails the coming market for handheld messiahs. But the best zinger addresses dot.com depressives and postal employees everywhere: "Shake this fear of getting nothing done, if you can bake a cake you can make a bomb."

COPYRIGHT 2000 Brant Publications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group