Meconium

Review by Darren Kerr

Why is it that everything recording at Scott Henderson's 'Sea of Shit' studios is fully crafted and golden, unique and very musical?

It might be something in the water -- or something in the Victoria dope -- that caused Ford Pier (ex of Jr. Gone Wild, now of Show Business Giants, D.O.A., etc...) to create the twisted, catchy and, yes, quirky tunes on Meconium. Pier uses a full pallet of vibrant musical colours: Flo & Eddie harmonies ("Family"), a capella ("Bad Architecture"), reggae ("Donkeys"), Joe Jackson-ish lurch and stagger ("Red Carpet Treatment"), irreverent acoustic ("Pinch"). Wonderfully sarcastic lyrics abound everywhere, too: the Onan meets Conan masturbation song "Pinch"; "Growth Industry," in which Pier lists off all the things that are whacked and unfair about our educational learning facilities before declaring that he's "rather be in something with a future"; and the great relationship bitch which is "Hell is Where the Heart Is."

Raw, chaotic, and with more barbs than a Freeman's fence. Ford, we gotta get together and go drinking, one night.

Artist Contact Info: P.O. Box 3243, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, V6B 3Y4