When He Came Around People Chokey Chokey

This is the real garage. Eyeball Skeleton is two young brothers, JJ and Charlie Brown and vocals and bass. Their dad, Bill Brown, holds down the beats and adds more guitar. I think this stuff is brilliant-- a dad rocking out with his little kids, but letting them handle all the lyrical and vocal duties. It's perfect fun.

In the grand tradition of groups like the Dead Milkmen, or even the White Stripes, this stripped down garage couldn't be any more raw. They're singing about a turtle that gets so hot in the sun that someone fries an egg on its back. Then breakdances on the tip of a pyramid, doing some kind of dance called the Chihuaha Tornado. It's total stream-of-consciousness crazy talk coming from some 8-year-old in Maryland. It's hilarious, bad, and somehow insanely catchy at the same time.

Now, I don't have a lot of hopes for this band, since they barely exist outside of novelty, and they're also part of the argument against the ease of home recording... but still, there's something very appealing to me here. It might be in the breakdown at the end, when the kids laugh but the weird bassline and beat continue on. I wish we all could've made cds like this when we were little. It's only fun. Songs like Spooky Mummy Case and Flat Top Vampire seem like they'd be cool, but only disappoint. Opening thrasher "Eyeball Skeleton" is a standout, as is the pure punk rant "I Don't Eat Cereal on the Weekends." The album comes out in April, and you can Preorder a copy. You can check out their Myspace page for more songs and pictures. They're just little tiny guys.

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Also, I've got a short stack of promo vinyl that I want to play, but my cartridges are on their last legs. Any of our readers work for Shure or Ortofon or someone? Maybe we can work a deal on a review set. You scratch my back and I'll scratch your records...