CMJ New Music Report
January 29, 1988 (Issue 136)
Robyn Hitchcock And The Egytpians
Globe Of Frogs
Weirdness does have its payoffs. Robyn Hitchcock's been a professional "strange person" for quite some time now, sounding off on whatever soapbox was available, including a variety of independent and import labels, and an aborted stint with Slash. He's good at it, too -- as good as anyone today -- and has built up a big enough legion of fanatical fans that A&M is sponsoring his latest manifesto, and they're taking Globe Of Frogs seriously. So has Hitchcock altered his cleverly slanted slant? Of course not. The advance 12" of "Balloon Man" should have tipped you off -- it's chock-full of his crafty Pop genius and off-the-wall lyrical bent. Sifting through the matching LP is like floating in a wave pool -- exhilarating, unsettling, unpredictable fun. After the single, try the up-tempo "Sleeping With Your Devil Mask" and "Tropical Flesh Mandala", then the Pop contender "Vibrating", the eerie "A Globe Of Frogs", and "Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis)". Robyn Hitchcock speaks to the weirdness in all of us, poetically and brilliantly capturing emotions, visions and dreams...life.
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