By looking at the band’s stock group photo shot, one would really wonder where they got their “action” name from. Standing in a deserted tunnel with caffeinated deprived eyes is a complete contrast to what happens to your speakers after you pop in Don’t Cut Your Fabric To This Year’s Fashion Show.
The hot pink and green covering of the CD is much more fitting, sporting a faceless girl from some high school click, a perfect tie into the title and strolling down with a 13th & Pearl Street swagger. A quote from Gene Hackman in “The Royal Tenenbaums” sets the theme for this break from the cool crowd collage, sewn together with jolly rancher keyboards, Hot Tamale vocals that burn so sweetly, and overflowing handfuls of malted skin beats that puncture a school girl’s cherry with one crunch.
It was also William Wittman, Cyndi Lauper’s exclusive producer of 15 years, which seems to dollop the icing on their sponge cake, having said to take a page from the George Martin (Beatles) production book. In translation kiddies, we’re talking old school, true stereo aesthetics that typically results in a more realistic connection of CD to stage. They may have also had some guest appearances from the past, having recorded in a haunted 1920’s mansion in Woodstock, NY.
You get that eerie feeling right at the beginning of “This Year’s Fashion,” picturing the crazy Dracula wooing his next victim at the huge organ (not his silly, the actual organ, you know, the one with keys…jeez). But it’s just vintage Moog and other classic instrumentation used throughout the album, including a Univox Super Fuzz that was originally owned by Pete Townsend, and was used on the “Live At Leeds” recording. One can only imagine what a boner that was.
So make sure you take your birth control and tell your parents that you’re spending the night at Julie’s before you get a ride to get some Action Action, who’ll rock out with their socks out (what? isn’t that how it goes?) along with Liars Academy and Atlas Tuesday, November 9 at Club 156 in Boulder. Show gets going at 7:30pm, save your milk money for the $7.00 cover charge and yes, it’s all ages.
