| Zambodia | |
|---|---|
| Studio album by Motherhead Bug | |
| Released | October 15, 1993 |
| Recorded | 1993 at B.C. Studios, Brooklyn, New York |
| Genre | experimental |
| Length | 46:55 |
| Label | Pow Wow Records |
| Producer | Martin Bisi |
Zambodia is the only studio album by the American experimental music ensemble Motherhead Bug, released on October 15, 1993 through Pow Wow Records. The record is dedicated to Masami Shinoda, a Japanese alto-saxophonist and composer who died the year prior to its release.
Contents |
After the release of Consumer Revolt and its coinciding tour, David Ouimet left Cop Shoot Cop to pursue his own musical ambitions. He formed Motherhead Bug along with Railroad Jerk bassist Tony Lee sometime during 1989. As the band developed and more musicians joined they began to release vinyl EPs. Their first official release Raised By Insects...Bugview was issued in 1991, featuring production by J. G. Thirlwell and an early version of the song "My Sweet Milstar". The next year the band released Age of Drawfs on PCP Entertainment, which contained "Bleating Heart Incident".
Motherhead Bug was known to incorporate elements of cabaret, big band, marching band, nursery rhymes, gypsy jazz, music hall, and even New York noise rock music into their work.[1] Zambodia has been described as as having a worldly and anarchistic sound, comparable to the French music group Les Négresses Vertes.[2] David Ouimet has attributed his background in classical as well as his work in the New York underground as being influential to his music.[3] Martin Bisi, who produced the album, has discussed the bands importance as the first rock ensemble to fully incorporate eastern european influences into their music, preceding bands such as Gogol Bordello.[4]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Piero Scaruffi | [5] |
The album is currently out of print, however it can be purchased in mp3 form from online stores such as amazon.com.
Music writer Piero Scaruffi praised the album, calling the band "the Penguin Cafe Orchestra for the new generation". He gave it an 8 out of 10 and placed it at #9 on his "Best Rock Albums of 1993" list. [6] One Trouser Press critic described the album as follows: "The instrumentation and Ouimet's theatrical vocals lend a decadent grandeur to Weill-esque numbers like 'Demon Erection' and 'My Sweet Milstar.' It may be burlesque, but it's still pretty scary stuff." [7]
All songs composed by David Ouimet
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Sweet Milstar" | 5:04 |
| 2. | "Tiny Bones" | 3:17 |
| 3. | "Demon Erection" | 6:32 |
| 4. | "Piñola" | 4:00 |
| 5. | "Bleating Heart Incident" | 6:06 |
| 6. | "Zambodia" | 5:18 |
| 7. | "Leader = Dealer" | 2:19 |
| 8. | "Shabooba" | 4:13 |
| 9. | "The Sauce Carousel" | 2:55 |
| 10. | "Blister" | 4:44 |
| 11. | "Off With Their Little Heads!" | 2:27 |
| Year | Publication | Country | Accolade | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | OOR | Netherlands | "Albums of the Year" | 177 | [8] |
| "*" denotes an unordered list. | |||||
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