33 rebellions per minute
"I can't get off this carousel, I can't get off this earth"
1996
Babylon Zoo, THE BOY WITH X-RAY EYES
The best-selling non-charity single in UK history is babylon Zoo's "Spaceman", the second track on their X-RAY EYES debut. That
really speaks well for the Brits: a complex song veering from dark synth-heavy gothisms (like Gary Numan with a deep
voice and a fuzzbox) into a techno-muchkin chorus (which resembles if "Fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum" had been
sung at half speed for dramatic weight). It's of a piece with the album, which melds in some heavy Ziggy Stardust influence,
and has the same thick guitar processing except for 2 quietly orchestrated songs. X-RAY EYES is an excellent record for two
simple reasons: it is majestic, and it is catchy. "Animal Army" and "Fire Guided Light" have great riffs, "Zodiac Sign" has a
gorgeous airiness, and "C A-F-F-E-I-N-E, caffeine! I need a drug. I need a drug to lean upon" has become a workday
mantra for me, along with the Reznorized chant "I'm Cracking Up I Need A Pill". Sometimes it seems to me that this is what
Oasis would sound like if they had the talent and production skill and the ability to write lyrics like an _interesting,
intelligent_ 4th grader. On the other hand, between "Pill"/"Caffeine" and Oasis's "Cigarettes & Alcohol"/ "Champagne
Supernove" is probably a much huger culture gap than that.
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