Cipher-Slim Cessna's Auto Club
By Euchrid

This album has been a long time coming. Oh, but we all waited. We waited patiently because we knew it was going to be well worth it. And it was.

Their strongest offering yet, Cipher seems to be Munly Munly's baby. Rumor has it that he was responsible for most of the content and even if that's not the case, he's been rubbing off on Slim. It carries the darkness of Munly's solo material, but places it in the more raucous context of the auto club. Instead of making me want to drink my cheap wine alone in a dark corner, it makes me want to drink my cheap wine with my friends and dance around like a moron. Not that I need music to make me want to do that, but I digress.

Much of the former hamminess is gone and is replaced with a certain frightening kind of intensity. Slim's vocals seem to have taken a more serious turn here and it lends a sobering air to the album when one is familiar with the band's catalog. The album is littered with short, almost choral pieces that bring to mind old hymns, each one increasing in accompaniment, culminating with banjo, fiddle, some sticks and a washtub (at least I'd like to think it's a washtub). "Jesus Is In My Body - My Body Has Let Me Down" and "All About The Bullfrog In 3 Verses" are two of the best tracks, in my humble opinion. "Children Of The Lord" is a really rockin' piece of music as well, and one of the less threatening songs on the album. "Everyone Is Guilty" is a reworking of a song done a while back by Munly & The Lee Lewis Harlots, and while its a rather poignant look at Jesus and religion, its also pretty damn funny and shows off some clever writing.

Once again we're right back into an epic and bizarre world of pissed off cows, deformed babies and Slim talkin' smack on Munly with his "East Coast schoolin'". He only does it because he loves him... it's just a lot scarier this time around, and Dwight Pentacost really gets a chance to rock out on the old gee-tar.

There seems to be an anti-American bent to this album. Ripping up the highways and whatnot. Or perhaps it's a truly American bent... it all depends on your point of view. This is one of the finest Gothic Americana albums out there. If anybody ever accused The Auto Club of being too kitschy or hammy, they'll be put in their place by this record.

 

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