But while that may seem weak in print, he sings it with an infectious glee unrivaled by the rest of the record. The gist of the song: 'Got a trunk fulla amps, motherfucker,' ad infinitum. And 'Miracleworker' gives me the perfect chance to make the obligatory Beck comparison (and by Beck, I'm talking about Odelay-era Beck), which, in this case, ain't so much a bad thing.īut the highlight of the album is 'Trunk Fulla Amps,' which has been clearly designated as a single (yeah, wishful thinking, fella) with the inclusion of a radio edit after the final track. 'Ordinaire' kicks new wave ass, recalling Devo with alarm sounds, wacky guitar lines, and caffeine-fueled hyperactivity. 'Dead Man' is a marvelous slice of power pop, trading off programmed beats and a synthesized harpsichord progression with a Rentals-esque, power-chord-laden chorus. The album's kickoff, 'I Am a Little Explosion,' is a perfect introduction it's one of the strongest tracks, exuding the kind of childish, exuberant energy that one might expect from a toy-lover. Gizmodgery's strong point comes when Mahaffey starts actually having fun. Only melody- or silence- would have provided sufficient relief. The only break in the song is the bridge, which features a sample of some drunk guy yammering. Clear examples lie in the intro to '5 Alive' and the entire following song, 'Chameleon.' In the case of the latter, Matt offers a booming drum loop and some distorted noises, along with a repetitive, nonsensical vocal line. Mahaffey's love of noise and clutter seems to act as an excuse for running low on decent ideas. Okay, one more thing, and then we can get to the good part of the record.

He covers 'What a Fool Believes,' for Christ's sake, and without even bringing anything interesting to it. You can see how that might serve as a distraction. At the start of each new song, I'd add another artist to my mental Artists Self Has Been Influenced By list. And I defy you to listen to this record without being reminded of other artists.

In fact, it could be pigeonholed into the mundane category of 'quirky pop,' or at best, into one of quirky pop's vague subdivisions. There's nothing that screams 'unique' about this music. Besides, now that we know what he was going for, we might as well realize that Mahaffey's only trying to distract you from the fact that not much else separates this record from the rest of the pack. After all, upon hearing Gizmodgery a few times, I've come to the conclusion that Self (aka Matt Mahaffey) could have ditched the schtick and recorded this, his fourth release, with a couple guitars, a few synthesizers, a drumkit and a decent sampler for all I care. Now we can conduct our serious record criticism like adults.

Self Gizmodgery Download