The Walrus - Music With Big Fuckin' Teeth!

01/14/2008

Welcome to Aunt Dracula's Island, Have a "Pleasant" Stay

When you think of Philadelphia, you certainly don't think "tropical psychedelia," but don't tell that to this town's newest musical absurdists, Aunt Dracula — an awesome band whose own "mascot" of sorts is a waffle cooking werewolf.

On first listen, their demo, "Mongo 12," is easily comparable to Animal Collective, but the truth is there is something way more operatic and comic book-esque going on here. Perhaps, a better comparison might be to a band like Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Aunt Drac travels along the same path as Zap with story-based songwriting, featuring oddball characters, scale-sliding vocal arrangements and schizophrenic tempo changes. However, the band takes a slight detour by incorporating a strange "tropical" vibe, one that makes the song sound like it belongs on the soundtrack to some perverted, campy horror flick set on an uncharted island — one that is most likely inhabited by that crazed, waffle-obsessed wolf. Hurry up and eat the waffles, before he eats you!