The Wet Teens
Let it Pee
Silber Records
www.silbermedia.com
Reviewed by Kent Manthie

Ahh…to be a carefree teenager again: invincible, immortal, no responsibilities save getting good grades scoring a bitchin’ ride.
On a slight detour from the average Silber Records CD, which is usually more experimental-driven, drone-noise-ambient-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink types of tinkering and toying with.
The Wet Teens’ new CD, Let it Pee is a raunchy, hilarious romp, evoking memories of late-night parties, raunchy, meaningless sex, sex, sex and the devil-may-care attitude that accompanies such a thrill-ride. The Wet Teens are not, as was de rigueur back in the 2002-2007 days, full of faux-angst and almost over-their-heads in polemic logic that quickly degenerated into brooding and heavy drug use (Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Blink 182 – a small exception there, since their lyrics were mostly just sophomoric dick jokes and stupid sexual innuendo which wasn’t even funny, just bathetic).
As a band, these young hedonists may at first come off as a bunch of crude frat-boy-pranks, but there is actual talent there. I can’t say that they aren’t also guilty of over-the-top sexual crassness – but that is their raison d’etre: they play their instruments well too, not virtuosic, but well enough to give them some “crit-cred” (as opposed to “street cred”, dig?) – to coin a phrase…in other words, they have the talent and the panache to back up their orgiastic party romps, their cleverly written tunes in which they let it all hang out, which makes it more fun to listen to – humorous songs that take you back to those awkward teenage days when anything went and you were immortal and knew everything and their was no consequences for any of your actions – not in the near term, anyway and that’s all that mattered at the time – wasn’t it? So, let’s mark them in the “Creative” box and go on from there. So, bottom line – when you put on Let it Pee, leave your silly, old-fashioned hang-ups in the closet, like so many unused coats and hats.
So, while The Wet Teens may be new and therefore I can’t go on and compare this one to their old stuff, or whatnot, I can just say that it doesn’t really do them justice to try to write what they’re all about, I can only describe it from my point of view and say that it’s worth a listen and then you’ll understand what I’m talking about.
The CD opens with an apropos introduction by Ron Jeremy (track 1) and then goes right into a song titled “Wet Teens” – I guess you could call it their mission statement. Two other tracks that may arouse your enthusiasm are “Stuck In You” and “Triple X Sex”. It’s basically something you can use in place of the soundtrack for whatever porn flick is in your DVD player, turn down the volume on the tube and crank up the ‘Teens. -KM

Irata
Eye of Ra
Silber Records, 2010
www.silbermedia.com
Reviewed by Kent Manthie

One of the new CDs I received from Silber Media to review was the new one by raw, edgy, experimental Irata, entitled Eye of Ra. Don’t pay attention to anything that may read “metal” in conjunction with this CD. Although they are kind of hard and edgy, they’re more like Tool or the lesser-known instrumental, metal-tinged/syncopated jazz rhythm band Apeyga. Since the latter band is also an instrumental band (as is Irata) – they are a bit more apt as a comparison than Tool – but still, one can’t help but hear certain Tool influences here and there throughout Eye of Ra. The bassline, for one, really harkens back to Tool recordings as well as the consistently bombastic, yet tightly wound drumming. Then there’s the excellent guitar work of Irata, which seems to be on a plane of their own. Influences for the guitarist are harder to pick out, just by guessing and listening.
Listening to Eye of Ra I fell in love quickly with the album as a whole and really was impressed by the solid arrangements and the tightness with which they play. These qualities are evident on such examples as “Clown Rehab”, a 4 minute jam that really keeps you paying attention, it doesn’t drone off or get hyper-redundant, but cleverly just plows through the song and there is some kind of je ne sais quois about it that pulled me in the first time I listened to it. “Pilgrim” is another good cut, a bit slower than “Clown Rehab”, but it’s a longer tune and it still rocks and penetrates the psyche. Another song worth mentioning here is an 8 minute jam, “Baby’s Breath”.
Irata seems to have the spark and the intensity of a Smashing Pumpkins – talented, loud and at their best when just playing instrumentally, no singing needed, it’d only be superfluous. They also have what may seem to be the showmanship of someone like The Fantomas – Mike Patton’s (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle) latest project. And if you’ve ever seen Patton live – no matter who he was with (Mr. Bungle being the most entertaining and original projects), you know what I mean by “showmanship”!
But just focus on Irata and what they can do for you: they will take away the stresses of a long day at work, get you pumped up for your daily workout routine or it can be a soundtrack to your party or your one-man vice machinations.
-KM

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