Music review by Hildemollerknag

Brought together by their shared fascination for experimental music and noise, the San Francisco-based lounge-collage duo Tipsy consists of Tim Digulla and David Gardner. Previously, Gardner worked with sonic manipulators like PGR and Big City Orchestra; Digulla began recording noise projects on his walkman while in junior high under the name No One. He continued his experiments in the San Francisco noise scene, through which he connected with Gardner at a warehouse sound event. Interested in the possibilities early easy listening and lounge music presented for tweaking and remixing, the duo formed Tipsy and recorded 1997's Trip Tease at the Bloody Angle Compound, their label Asphodel's recording studio. Trip Tease mixes modern and retro dance beats and the sensibility of '50s and '60s easy listening into a surreal musical confection; three singles, Flying Monkey Fist/Space Golf, Space Golf/Nude on the Moon and Grossenhosen Mit Mr. Excitement were released. In 1998, the band applied their avant-kitsch touch to a remix on Pulp's This Is Hardcore single. After a two-year period out of the spotlight, Tipsy returned in late 2000 with the Hard Petting single, which pointed to a more streamlined, less lounge-inspired sound. This trend continued on their second album, Uh-Oh, which arrived in early 2001. Tipsy's members worked on other projects, including music for commercials, before reconvening in the studio in 2005 for their third album. The group finished recording in fall 2007, but the product of their labor, Buzzz, didn't arrive until a year later on Ipecac Records.
Tracks
1 Mr. Excitement
2 Space Golf
3 Grossenhosen
4 Tuatara
5 Nude On The Moon
6 El Bombo Atomico
7 Liquordelic
8 Cinnabar
9 Fuad Ramses
10 Oops!
11 Ugly Stadium
12 Something Tropical
13 Zenith
Listen

there was a point in time where so many japanese artists were making a heavy splash on the international electronic/indy scene. names like Pizzicato Five, Buffalo Daughter, Cornelius, Cibo Matto were all the rage. their blend of french pop, asian chic, and that "space age bachelor pad" motif were probably a big relief to those who needed a breather from the grunge-soaked musical landscape. and despite their disposable kitsch factor associated with most of these groups, they seemed to stick around long enough for most people to take them seriously. Takako Minekawa may not be quite as well known as those other groups i mentioned, but her music is a treat for those who can appreciate simple, charming music; made with a childlike sense of amusement and a wonderful appreciation for sound.

armed with an aray of keyboards and plenty of bells and whistles, Takako's songwriting skills are showcased on all the fun, dainty tracks on Roomic Cube. Buffalo Daughter are also on here, helping out with nice results. "Klaxon!" is a great great song with an irresistable pop hook that stands out from the moody album opener. "Fantastic Cat" also beams with a goofy, bouncy melody and simple , but effective lyrics. their are plenty of questionable songs here also...the fifth track "Wooooog" is just throwaway romp in sleazy funk that goes nowhere fast...and "Desert Song" finds Takako settling on a bunch of "la la la's" over a dreary non-descript background. thankfully, "Destron" lays down some spooky groundwork with a haunting melody line and a stark distorted drum.
Tracks
1. Sleep Song
2. Fantastic Cat
3. Never/More
4. Klaxon!
5. Wooooog
6. Dessert Song
7. Destron
8. Pop Up Squirrels
9. 1.666666
10. Rainy Song
11. T.T.T.
12. Black... White
13. More Pop Up Squirrels
Download.

Amazing that this magnificent debut album should be so underrated as to be undiscovered country for so many people. It's a classic for so many reasons - as has been said, there isn't a weak track on the album. Most people remember Wide Open Space as a 90s anthem, as well as the other singles Taxloss and She Makes My Nose Bleed, but all the songs share the same quality, wit and bizarre sense of humour. Mansun's achievement is in making an album so full of catchy tunes and singalong choruses which is at the same time so eccentric, dark, hypnotic and surreal. Paul Draper has a superb voice, one moment singing angelically like a choirboy and the next belting out the loud and electrifying anthems elsewhere. The album is bursting with ideas and innovation, it flows through your head like a dream and you're guaranteed to find yourself singing different bits of it to yourself when you least expect to!
Attack of the Grey Lantern loosely tells the story of 'Mavis' and her father, a vicar who combines his respectable day-job with a kinky alter-ego as a stripper and drag queen, and who dies presumably as a result of his activities. The story carries it's own fascination from one fantastic song to the next - Stripper Vicar is quite simply one of the greatest songs of the 90s and tells the tale with hilarious lyrics ("I think he got suspended in his stockings and suspenders, and he's making wine from water while he dresses like his daughter, and we know that he's a rip off cos we've seen him with his kit off!") while elsewhere we hear poignant and beautiful songs such as Dark Mavis with it's soaring string section and sombre description of the funeral arrangements. The anthemic outro is done with great passion and feeling, before rejoining the majestic Bond-style piece of orchestral classical music that opened the first song. As it finishes you sit in awe, contemplating the brilliance of the album and the strange story it told...until the excellent, poppy hidden track kicks in and Draper reveals that "the lyrics aren't supposed to mean that much, they're just a vehicle for a lovely voice!" Brilliant by A Customer
Tracks
1. The Chad Who Loved Me
2. Mansun's Only Love Song
3. Taxloss
4. You Who Do You Hate
5. Wide Open Space
6. Stripper Vicar
7. Disgusting
8. She Makes My Nose Bleed
9. Naked Twister
10. Egg Shaped Fred
11. Dark Mavis
12. An Open Letter To The Lyrical Trainspotter
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