Pure Frosting

Review by Darren Kerr

PUSA bring it all back again with their rock and roll nonsense. Two-string bassist Dave Dederer, guitarist Chris Ballew, and drummer Jason Finn are a pure adrenaline rush, both live and on record. On this, their aptly-named final release, we get songs about teenage girls, love delicatessens, Japan, and "the Man."

Also included are two great covers: "Video Killed the Radio Star" and Ian Hunter's "Cleveland Rocks." The former, a live staple probably included to give the parents chaperoning their kids a taste of their own generation (with Dad saying, "Kids, me and your mother used to listen to that song when you were babies. It's by a band called the Buggles." The kids cracking back, "Yeah, whatever."), while the latter is a souped-up rendition of the should-be classic Ohio rock anthem which you've probably heard as Drew Carey's theme song (and that's him yelling "Ohio" at the end of this version!).

Let's face it, this big blue ball on which we live can be a deadly serious and stressful place. Thank goodness bands like PUSA are (or, now, were) around to remind us that every well-balanced diet should contain a healthy dose of junk food.

Message to all: "Lump" (found here in its live form) is not allowed in my house anymore. Anyone found bringing said song into my house will be subjected to infinite repeats of Joe Dolce's "Shuddup You Face" and Taco's "Puttin on the Ritz". You have been warned.