God Shuffled His Feet

Crash Test Dummies

BMG Records, 1993

http://www.crashtestdummies.com

REVIEW BY: Vish Iyer

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 10/22/2003

"It's story time, folks! Come one, come all! Mothers and fathers, girls and boys, gather around. Mr. Brad 'the wise guy' Roberts has a few stories up his sleeve. Stories, fables, tales; parables, each of which send out a message of their own - Messages with a moral value, messages without a moral value, plain messages which really aren't supposed to mean anything at all!!"

Seriously, God Shuffled His Feet is a very different album. It differs from most of its kind in the way it is conceptualized and presented. There is no doubt that this is just another 'adult alternative rock' album, but, with a difference. The album proceeds like a musical storybook, with each song contributing as a small fable of some sort. Every song is written as a small tale, describing the most unusual of situations, in a manner of a parable, which one is supposed to read to their kids, hoping to inculcate any slightest form of something known as a 'moral value', in an attempt to make it (the child) a better person.

The opening title track is this very funny fragment of Brad's imagination of this situation, in which the almighty invites some 'humans' for a nice day out, for a picnic, in which the 'humans' ask god really weird questions about heaven. As an answer, god tells them an equally warped story of this boy with 'blue hair', which of course goes beyond the absorbing capacity of any of the person trying to get a grip of what god was trying to say - A very smart lyric-work by Brad, here. Also, the mandolin-solo at the end of the song makes it one of the best in the album. "Afternoons And Coffespoons", is a very humorous take on why one should find a hospital quite not the place to be in. "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm", is definitely not an 'erotic' song, no, by no means, it isn't. Like "God Shuffled His Feet", this song gives a glimpse of some very unusual stories that Brad can bubble out with. The bass lines are quite amazing, if listened to, with care, in this song. "In The Days Of The Caveman", is exactly, what the title says: beautiful piano work by Ellen, here. Its time for a love song, with "Swimming In Your Ocean", and a very unconventional one, I should say. I like the unusual humor in this unusual love song. "Here I Stand Before Me", is probably the worst song of this record. The lyrics are good, though, with Brad singing about his proud x-ray of his insides. "I Think I'll Disappear Now", is another not so good song: not worth writing about.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

"How Does A Duck Know?" is probably the best this album can offer, and it is a lot! It is a fantastically produced song, one of the reasons that make me glad that The Dummies have made an appropriate choice by having Jerry Harrison as the main producer of this CD. I once read Brad Roberts' interview, somewhere, in which he had stated a very amusing fact about "When I Go Out With The Artists": it was originally written as a promo for a scotch whisky company. Strange? You betcha!! A very mellow song, with nothing more than the sounds of the humble piano, "The Psychic", is about, well, a psychic; a cute number. "Two Knights And Maidens", is an absolute masterpiece. A beautifully short song, about two mischievous knights and two really harassed and nasty maidens; the plush production in this number does take a large part of the listener's attention. "Untitled", is sheer beauty in simplicity. This 2 - minute odd number is the most humble and melancholic of all songs, of this L.P. This song is just a 'piano-instrumental', written and performed by Brad Roberts, all by himself.

All in all, God Shuffled His Feet gives for an absolutely fulfilling listening pleasure. The music is mind-blowing, and isn't very complicated to understand. The lyrics are witty, cheeky and very smart. An impressive effort, indeed!!

Rating: B+

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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© 2003 Vish Iyer and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of BMG Records, and is used for informational purposes only.