GROOVIE GHOULIES
Fun In The Dark (Lookout)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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One of the most reliable rock and roll outfits in the indie world comes through again. Halloween falls on every evening for Kepi and Roach and whoever else makes up the Ghoulies at any given moment, so you can't really say Fun In The Dark is out of season. No big stylistic breakthroughs to report here, just good old Ghoulies thunderbolts and three chord simplicity. Roach may not be Steve Vai, but she has a guitar tone made from concrete, granite and reinforced steel, lethal at any volume. That sound doesn't vary much from song to song, but then you don't want it to, as it's the rocket that delivers each and every song like an overhand right to the bridge of the nose. Kepi's semi-detached vocal approach counters the chaos beautifully, and wait a second... here's a surprise: Kepi's the drummer this time around, not the bass player. (B-Face is credited with the bass chores.) No matter how they arrange it on stage or in the studio, the Groovie Ghoulies sound just like the Groovie Ghoulies! A band mean enough to make a Halloween song stick in early June yet cool enough to record a cover of Sonny Bono's "Laugh At Me." Let's hear it for the Ghouls.

© 1999 - DJ Johnson