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cat and bird hospital: get well soon
BY JIM LAAKSO
Not too long ago, Cat and Bird Hospital vocalist Greg Greg woke up to the realization that he was Jesus Christ reborn. Accepting this role, he spent much of that day in the local DMV, attempting to heal the people inside. Or so goes the story.
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Whether that tale is true or not—and it reportedly is—it sheds some light on one of the unusual minds behind Get Well Soon, the astounding debut full-length from Cat and Bird Hospital. As one of the few recent releases worth pissing in one's pants over, Get Well Soon is essential listening for all human beings, both living and yet to be born.
A collaboration between Greg Greg and instrumentalist Jacob Berendes, the album was recorded on the porch of the duo's Worcester home. The production is lo-fi, the music sparse, the lyrics humorous and deceptively simple ("I've got a friend who's a ghost/But I'm still alive"). Alternately philosophical ("We're All Interconnected"), inspirational ("A Better Life"), confessional ("I Have A Secret"), and danceable ("Let's Bring Dancing Back To The Streets"), Get Well Soon defies the listener's expectations throughout.
What truly elevates this album to greatness, though, is Greg Greg's voice. Similar at times to that of Syd Barrett, it wavers, it cracks, it overloads the recording equipment as he gets excited and screams. The range of emotions conveyed through his nasal vocals is incredible: from goofily naïve on "Let's Bring Dancing Back To The Streets" to touching on "I Have A Secret" ("Momma, I'm making it...right?"), Greg Greg proves himself to be the Luciano Pavarotti of lo-fi. Or maybe the Captain Beefheart. Or Judy Garland?
The album's masterpiece comes with "A Tragic Hero," a cracked-out epic about a man named Bulky O'Cramocrap and his attempts to reach the top of Mt. Fidgety. Is it no more than an innocent, nonsensical story? Or is it an allegory for spiritual rebirth through the use of psychedelics? It can be either, depending on how firmly the listener's head is planted in his rectum. But: is it brilliant? You bet.
In the end, it doesn't really matter whether Greg Greg is Jesus or not, because it's doubtful that God Himself (whichever version you prefer) could have produced a better record than Get Well Soon. So let's get to the point. Is this the best album ever recorded by any band in history? Yes. God Bless. (Available from http://www.fujichia.com)
All materials © 2001 The Yale Herald, Inc., and its staff.
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