The Kingdom of Idiot Rock

Review by Darren Kerr

Gainesville, Florida's PopCanon combine the eccentric literate weirdness of the Soft Boys with the instrumental thuggery of Primus or Babe the Blue Ox and come up with something that is, on occasion, too damn clever for its own good.

This is what happens to high school fusion bands when they graduate with diplomas in bizarre tempo changes, Martian scales and extra-curricular chemical analysis. The bass is burby, the violins battle with the horn section, the guitars chime and clang, and the vocalists sing of Thomas Pychon ("Wanda Tinasky"), Descartes ("René René") , Jorge Luis Borges ("Labyrinths") and Umberto Eco ("Treasure of the Temple"). But before you think you have to have a doctorate in literature to get into PopCanon, there's also the tale of a guy whose girlfriend's brother is in love with him ("Valentine's Day") and the "PopCanon Fight Song," in which the vocalists spell out the band's name and sing their own praises.

I applaud PopCanon for not playing according to Hoyle on The Kingdom of Idiot Rock. If quirky is what you look for in your pop music, then this is for you.

Artist Contact Info: 240-A SW 3rd St., Gainesville, FL, 32601, U.S.A., popcanon@purplefrog.com