Search - Pere Ubu :: Ray Gun Suitcase

A brilliant return to form!

M. L. Johnson | Auburn, AL USA | 07/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After tinkering with a more (supposedly) commercially-oriented pop sound in the late 80's and early 90's, Pere Ubu reformed and came roaring back with this gem which, in my humble opinion, ranks right up there with their best. In some ways, this outing even tops the much-heralded masterpieces of their heyday (e.g. Modern Dance, Dub Housing, etc.) in that it is really, really TIGHT. Whereas many of their other efforts tend to meander a bit (not that that's necessarily a bad thing, mind you), this thing is focused like a laser (from the "ray gun" in the title, perhaps???). I find it fascinating that what we see here is an occurrence of what I like to call "recycled influences". This is where an influential band or artist that's been around a while ends up being influenced by other bands/artists that THEY influenced in the first place. Even though this phenomenon certainly couldn't be called common, it's not as rare as you might think, either. Recall how David Bowie was re-influenced by Nine Inch Nails a while back. Listening to this, I can make out distinct shades of Sonic Youth, REM, Pixies, and even They Might Be Giants. These are groups that would have existed as completely different entities if it weren't for the guiding light of Pere Ubu, if they would have even existed at all. I really do thoroughly enjoy every song on this album, and there is absolutely NO filler. Especially, I find "Folly of Youth", "Electricity", "Vacuum in My Head", "Three Things", "Horse", and "Red Sky" to be utterly crazed, psychotic masterpieces. "Red Sky" in particular really kills me - it vies with "Small was Fast" (off of "New Picnic Time") as my all-time favorite Ubu song. No matter what else you might want to say, at the end of the day, Pere Ubu chose to get back to their roots and be re-influenced by THEMSELVES! And that's a very good thing, indeed."