V/A Ready! Aim! 1! 2! 3! 4! A M.O.T.O. Tribute CD
Ready! Aim!! 1!2!3!4! A M.O.T.O. Tribute features 46 bands covering songs by M.O.T.O. (MASTERS OF THE OBVIOUS), which should tell you something about the reach of Paul Caporino’s songwriting. The man has been at it since 1981—45 years of garage rock filtered through pop, new wave, and occasional metal detours, and the one constant across all of it is that the hooks are relentless. Caporino writes melodies with a ’60s pop instinct that won’t leave you alone, the kind of songs that burrow into your head even when the lyrics make you wince. “Dance Dance Dance Dance Dance to the Radio” is a good example: you might argue with the words, but good luck getting that bop out of your skull. On a comp this size, interpretations range from faithful to sideways, and the quality varies. I hadn’t heard of most of the artists here, but standout contributions from ERIC AMERICA featuring BRONSON TERMINATOR TEW, ERIC CUNHA, POPDUDES, HOUSEGHOST, PAINT FUMES, and SHERI LYNN featuring the SWEET LOVES kept me hitting play. If you’re already a fan of Caporino’s work, there are plenty of good takes here to keep you happy. If you’re not, do yourself a favor and check out the originals. The man might be the Brian Wilson of garage rock: prolific, obsessive, and incapable of writing a song that doesn’t stick.