Electric Prawns 2 Rock and Roll’s Greatest Hits cassette
Nineteen tracks make up this monster of a cassette. Having lived through the musical bloat of the ’90s, I am always a bit skeptical when a tracklist length could legally drive (or legally drink, given that ELECTRIC PRAWNS 2 are Australian, after all). With that personal hangup documented, this cassette does a nice job of keeping you off your guard and on your toes. The first two tracks are sub-minute intros? Strange! The first actual song comes in subtly enough, and then the dogs start barking on “Big Man” and you forget everything you’ve heard thus far; the PRAWNS have arrived. This is where you lock in, because this is where they lock in. Great synth lines, plenty of attitude, lots of fuzzy sounds, and the desire to stick around. Clearly, this is not meant to be a passive listen. ELECTRIC PRAWNS 2 demand your attention, for better or for worse. I do personally find them at their best when they crank the intensity and throw everything they’ve got right in your face. There is a ton of music here, and what’s perhaps the most interesting is that if you randomly choose a track, you’ll probably really dig what you hear. I’m not sure if sitting down from the first intro to the end is the goal here as this is intentionally ADHD music, but I will say whatever track you may hear, it’ll make a solid impression.