Trying to live up to the success of an album is nearly as difficult as having a successful album in the first place. The Crash Test Dummies, still best known for their 1994 album "God Shuffled His Feet" and its top-10 single "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm," are doing just that this year, having recently released the follow up album "A Worm's Life" and embarking on a world tour that hits Detroit tonight.
How does the new album compare to its predecessor? "This record is more aggressive," singer Brad Roberts said in an interview with The Michigan Daily. "The drums are mixed louder, there's more guitar, less synthesizer, the production is less slick. I'm very happy with it."
One thing that hasn't changed, though, is the fascinating array of topics covered in his lyrics. Roberts' musings on animals, science, unusual children and inanimate objects are as present as ever.
"I'm trying to avoid writing about the more cliched subjects in pop music, because I'm interested more in bending the rules. So animals tend to creep in," Roberts said. "I like to give the point of view of a narrator rather than an outsider."
And while several internet newsgroups exist solely for the purpose of finding the hidden sources of Crash Test Dummies lyrics in obscure mythology or other unlikely places, Roberts often uses only himself and his experiences as the source. "I often get (my lyrics) from a conversation, a book I've just read, a quote from the news on TV, or a commercial. I take the fragments I write down and look for a theme. You have to be real critical when you write lyrics, and keep going until it's good," he said.
As far as the music itself is concerned, both "A Worm's Life" and 'God Shuffled His Feet" are full of instantly appealing melodies and studio tricks reminiscent more of '80s and earlier British pop such as XTC and Squeeze than of modern rock.
"We have become studio freaks because of XTC," Roberts said, "which is very much in opposition to the whole 'alternative' thing."
In fact, the Dummies regularly cover XTC's "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" in concert. But their influences are not limited to XTC. One of Roberts' first favorite childhood songs was Charlie Daniels' "Uneasy Rider," and he became a certified member of the Kiss Army at age 12; it was none other than the legendary Ace Frehley that inspired him to learn guitar.
The Crash Test Dummies are an eccentric outfit, and that eccentricity should come out very well in concert. There ought to be a place for a band like this in any time, and a place beyond that of a one hit wonder.
