For Those About to Shop, We Salute You

Personnel: Steve "The Cougar" Sherlock (drums).
In less than 35 minutes, nerdy ex-Nerf Herder frontman Parry Gripp slings out 51 tracks -- all under a minute, some less than 30 seconds long -- inspired initially by an offer to write a jingle for a new brand of frozen waffles. Those five ditties are bolstered by 46 other "commercials" that, if the Volume 1 subtitle of For Those About to Shop, We Salute You is to believed, is just the first installment. As evidenced by his three Nerf Herder albums and the jokey AC/DC-referenced title of this one, Gripp has a witty, often dry, and always playful sense of humor, which still doesn't raise this above novelty status, but does provide more than an average morning circus radio show's amount of laughs. The tunes, such as they are, are divided into subcategories of "Songs About Sports," "Songs About Places You Can Go," "Songs About Beer," "Songs About Personal Hygiene Products," and so on, and run the gamut from direct Ramones rewrites ("More Blades=Better Shave" is "Blitzkrieg Bop" with different lyrics) to country, funk, rock, metal, and punk styles. Forty-five of these come with notation in the album's feverishly funny liner notes that are as amusing as the music itself. It's an entertaining project that shows how easy it is to write a song, even if these aren't exactly timeless classics. This isn't anything you'll play daily, but it's a heck of a great party album and shows Gripp to have a raging sense of humor. His eclectic musicality proves him to be a savvy historian who understands nearly all forms of pop, not just the upbeat punk of his previous band. It's impossible not to hear this album without a goofy grin on your face, and if that's enough of a recommendation, dive in anywhere and enjoy the ride. ~ Hal Horowitz