CityBeat, Vol. 5, Issue 1; November 19-24, 1998
By: Mike Breen

If your're tiring of all of the cheeky swing bands making the rounds right now, you are well advised to check out the new self-titled record from refreshingly doesn’t fit into the recent swing craze. Like Brian Setzer (with whom the band has toured), the group mixes things up by throwing in rockabilly ideas and putting the guitar far up in the mix. And while the album contains its share up rave-up swagger, much of the album has a jazzy, cocktail cool that is irresistible.

The group has been making the scene, as it were, with the Setzer tour and ultra-cool gigs like Gene Simmon’s birthday party and several of Anne Rice’s Halloween bashes. And it’s easy to see why. Alien Fashion show (Surfdog Hollywood) isn’t overtly kitschy, and while there are retro elements, the band brings its own unique spin on things by meshing together various styles. And it’s still a “fun”affair, as clever covers of classics like Kiss’ “Detroit Rock City” (done here as “Detroit Swing City”) and the Police’s “Roxanne” blissfully show.

The group ends the record with classic “come down” finesse, stumbling into the “Blue Bed,” a celestial, dreamlike ditty that befits the band’s odd moniker, “Crawfish Pie,” a smoky New Orlean’s strut, and the spooky, surfish “Secret Pill.” The album closes with “Cool Thing” and “Owl Song,” two slinky cuts that it would be almost criminal to leave out of David Lynch’s next movie.

Call it Crazyspookycool.