Bush Tetras - Happy - LP

While Happy is quite consistent, there are standouts, including the two aforementioned songs, which have remained staples of their live set. Also notable are "You Don't Know Me" and "Chinese Afro," both examples of maximal, rockist funk. Place's guitar fractures riffs, taking melody to its most angular extremes while spitting out distorted vamps and power chords. Murphy's basslines are complex, funky, and in the pocket, while Pop plays with a jazzman's sense of time and adventure, and a rocker's sense of attack. The moody darkness in the band's mature sound can be heard best on "Heart Attack," "Buckets of Blood," and especially "Oceans." Happy finds the Bush Tetras at a fully mature peak, where they're clearly invested in the creative aspect of the recording process yet in places they capture the chaotic energy of their live performances. Fleming's production is lean enough to allow the inspired playing to come to the fore and disciplined enough to showcase the BT's considerable songwriting chops. - Thom Jurek

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