by John Brouk
Go back to school by using the self-titled Debut album by the Los Angeles-based Bed Bits. Released last fall, this album is a trippy excursion into the past, like a lost episode of the ’90s educational cartoon Magic School Bus, where clanking and repetitive guitar riffs, listless vocals, and primal, rhythmic percussion combine with ponderous bass lines for what feels like the first triumphantly awkward steps of a pre-Cretaceous species on dry land. A wacky and fun collection of post-egg-punk songs from the self-proclaimed “leading, jam-scented spiritual cartoon group,” Bed Bits’ self-titled album is a wonderfully unique experience. If you were hoping for a normal excursion, you’re better off staying home!
Our journey begins with “Cambrian Age,” whose short introductory animal soundtrack gives way to a Paleozoic boogie where horseshoe crab-like creatures scamper and strut around a young world full of potential. By the follow-up track “Ceiling,” we realize that this isn’t just a journey through time, but also into space and other dimensions. Surrealist lyricism takes us to a realm of bright, swirling colors where faces populate the ceiling and a frog can be found in the fireplace. There’s also a fun and colorful music video for this song. On this record, we’re greeted by a number of different zoological oddities, such as flamingos, partridges, cats, and even animals that drive cars.
The seemingly absurd lyrics of tracks like “Secret Life” achieve their goal by keeping the subject matter under wraps and making the listener assign their own meaning to the scenes of whimsical chaos. These include images of people living in one shoe surrounded by lemon trees and searching for bright green shorts to match their lava lamps, as found in “Dream Vitamins,” which serves as the perfect prescription for anyone lacking imagination. Midway through the tracklist is “Tender Spree,” by far the sweetest melodic moment on the album. We hear the slow, dance-like interplay of an arpeggio guitar riff and bass notes eventually embracing each other as celestial harmonies lift us skyward, promising us a dreamy journey through pink and yellow planets.
Most of the album’s instrumentation is characterized by its shrill and dry guitars that wobble, stretch, bounce, and bubble as if they were made of playdough. Bed Bits seems to know that the less you use, the greater the power of notes. There’s something surfy about the tones, but the idea of an arid southwestern desert feels more fitting than any body of water. These sounds fit so well with the mirage-like hallucinations described throughout the album. There’s also a sprinkling of different instruments like swaying saxophone, sitar, piano, vibraphone, and other sound effects that provide fun flares throughout the album. The percussion alternates between straight and steady drum beats that maintain a steady tempo and the playful world music that turns the whole thing into a lanky groove. The album’s instrumental closer, “Poto & Cabengo,” with its repetitive guitar riffs and distortion-free chord strums, is perhaps the clearest example of the band’s post-punk ambitions.
