Evaporators Gassy Jack Reviews !

[nardwuar]

from:

http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2007-11-29/music_discs3.php

THE EVAPORATORS Gassy Jack And Other Tales (Mint)

Rating: NNNN

You can really learn a lot from a Nardwuar album. In the guise of 14 catchy garage rock tunes, Nardwuar and his Evaporators have crafted an edifying love letter to lower mainland BC and anything punk associated with it. Its most pronounced reference is a meticulous recreation of the Subhumans' 81 cover photo for Incorrect Thoughts. Vancouver pioneers, float planes and famous local photographers, this could be the most provincial album ever made.
Amazingly, these Nardwuarisms don't weigh down Gassy Jack. Out of the gate, it's Smugglers-style speed pop, with lyrics often so ridiculous you're left wondering why you're gleefully singing without shame to a song like Sasquatch And Me Ate Berries For Free. Also tacked on is his ambush of Courtney Love, a classic Nardwuar confrontation that's bizarrely unrelated to anything else on this righteous new disc.
Jason Keller
NOW | NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 5, 2007 | VOL. 27 NO. 13



from:

http://www.vueweekly.com/articles/default.aspx?i=7604

The Evaporators
Gassy Jack and Other Tales
Mint
BRYAN BIRTLES 

Leave it to Nardwuar’s Evaporators to deliver on pop-punk the way it ought to be. Irreverent and full of joy, the Evaporators delivers 14 bopping tracks—and a hilariously unflattering interview that Nard conducted with Courtney Love to cap the whole thing off—that will turn your lamest party into something akin to giggling anarchy. The coolest track is the title track, “Gassy Jack,” about a Vancouver pioneer who got his nickname from his ability to talk, not pass wind. Interspersed with this Canadian history lesson is the quintessentially Vancouver—especially as the Olympic Games threaten to devastate the city—rallying cry “Social housing for the needy / Not lofts for the greedy,” but delivered in such a liltingly rhythmic way that you quickly forget that you’re learning something and being politically informed.

from:

http://www.planetsmag.com/content.php?vn=6&is=8&an=542&sc=9

THE EVAPORATORS
GASSY JACK
MINT
3.5/5

Canadian music icon, punk rock front man, guerrilla journalist, or just plain annoying, Nardwuar the Human Serviette, along with his band The Evaporators, is once again skirting the borders of good taste and tolerance. Although he may be more notorious for his antics confronting various musicians, politicians and washed-up celebrities, Nardwuar has been fronting a punk rock band for as long as he’s been in the agitating business. Gassy Jack and Other Tales is The Evaporators’ fourth release in just over a decade and it is every bit as good as anything Nardwuar has lent his name to. The Evaporators offer straight-up, stripped-down garage rock with lyrics ranging from the silly to the seriously silly. Of course, any Evaporators release is a lesson in Canadian punk rock history with both the music and the liner notes entertainingly written by Nardwuar himself. But you’ll have to imagine his high-pitched, nasally voice. /Chris Morin



from: http://www.winnipegsun.com/Entertainment/Columnists/Sterdan_Darryl/2007/11/20/4670068-sun.html
By DARRYL STERDAN

THE EVAPORATORS
Gassy Jack and Other Tales
Indie-Rock
Sun Rating: 3 out of 5
There are two kinds of people: Those who find Nardwuar entertaining and those who want to punch him really hard. While both groups can easily enjoy this latest batch of zippy garage-pop nuggets from his all-star Evaporators, those in the latter category will likely want to skip the interview and video portions of this enhanced disc. Doot doola doot doo ... whatever.
Download: Do the Eggbeater, Crispy Space Bacon


from: http://www.whatsonwinnipeg.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33988

THE EVAPORATORS / Gassy Jack and Other Tales (Mint)

November 23rd, 2007


MUCHMUSIC viewers will recognize Nardwuar the Human Serviette from his numerous, usually hilarious, interviews with all manner of musicians, but there's more to the squeaky-voiced man than his encyclopedic knowledge of the arcane: He is also the leader of The Evaporators, a Vancouver power-pop/garage-punk ensemble that has been around for more than two decades.
On their latest album, Nardwuar and co. offer up an infectious collection of historical lessons (Gassy Jack, E.J. Hughes, Evatone Soundsheets, St. Roch) and pure silliness (Where's the Butterknife, Do the Eggbeater, Crispy Space Bacon). But just because they don't take themselves too seriously doesn't mean the music suffers as members of the New Pornographers, the Smugglers and Canned Hamm provide the perfect backing to Nardwuar's lyrical obsessions.
The enhanced CD also features an audio confrontation with Courtney Love and eight videos. The detailed liner notes explain the origins of most of the songs and the inspiration behind the cover, an homage to the Subhumans' classic album Incorrect Thoughts.
-- RW




http://www.exclaim.ca/musicreviews/generalreview.aspx?csid1=117&csid2=851&fid1=28987

Evaporators
Gassy Jack and Other Tales
By Josiah Hughes

If you’ve heard any of the Evaporators’ previous four releases, or even seen one of Nardwuar’s gonzo interviews on TV, then Gassy Jack and Other Tales will come as no surprise. Fourteen tracks of giddy, up-tempo power pop and punk rock, the record covers a variety of historical peculiarities, including Vancouver’s Gassy Jack statue, vintage vinyl Evatone Soundsheets and BC-based nature painter EJ Hughes. To avoid getting too gimmicky, the record benefits from fantastic songwriting courtesy of ex-Smuggler Dave Carswell, New Pornographer John Collins and new recruit Stephen Hamm (of Canned Hamm and proto-grunge legends Slow). Complete with eight bonus music videos and a detailed essay from Nard himself, Gassy Jack is too fun to resist. (Mint)




http://www.nuthousepunks.com/blog/?p=377

The Evaporators – “Gassy Jack and Other Tales”
(Mint Records)
Upon gazing at the visage of Nardwuar the Human Serviette on the cover of Gassy Jack and Other Tales, I felt a little worried. Nardwuar’s brand of humor has always struck me as being massively annoying. This may have something to do with the fact that his sense of humor and interview style lies with being amazingly, annoyingly persistent. The Canadian sense of humor has always seemed to be a little left of center as far as I can see, and Nardwuar is a prime example of someone who’s amazingly famous up north, but barely known here in the States.
The Evaporators are Nardwuar’s punk group. They’re pretty much old school punk rock. Like Ramones punk rock, influenced as much by Phil Spector girl group stuff and Chuck Berry as they are by your usual gang of Nuggets misfits. It’s fun and the organ makes the whole thing danceable. The lyrics are a trifle on the painfully cute side of things sometimes, angling towards contrived, but they’ll still put a smile on your face. I mean, really – it’s got a guy from the New Pornographers and a guy from the Smugglers. Pop and punk, Candian style, and by guys who know how to do it right.
“You Got Me Into This, Now Get Me Out!“


from:
http://www.montrealmirror.com/2007/112907/disc.html

The Evaporators
Gassy Jack and Other Tales (Mint/Outside)
Since the last Evaporation in 2004, Vancouver’s Nardwuar the Human Serviette has focused on the DVDs documenting his other artform, that of the gonzo pop-star interview, but here he returns to his longstanding band. He and the band are replenished if anything, as the crew—drawn from the ranks of the Smugglers, New Pornographers and Canned Hamm—bang out a tasty batch of unambitious yet solid garage rock and power-pop (though a fragment of a face-off with Courtney Love closes the disc). Always a titan of trivia, Nardwuar’s lyrical fodder includes alt-rock obscurities and inconsequential Canadiana. 7/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)




from:

http://www.aidabet.com/issues/292/292reviews.html

The Evaporators Gassy Jack and Other Tales (Mint)
I can't stand Nardwuar's speaking voice (his singing is whiny, but not dreadful), and I think he tries a little too hard to be funny. But his feel for a variety of punk styles is impeccable, and when he's not trying too hard he can write songs with a fine wry touch. This strikes me as a somewhat more "mature" Evaporators album, but that is a relative statement. Fans should not be disappointed.


from ZERO MAGAZINE JANUARY ISSUE 08'



Band: The Evaporators
Album: Gassy Jack and Other Tales
Label: Mint Records


Yes! A new Evaporators release! If you’re not familiar with
them, they’re a garagy, power pop band from Canada fronted by
the one and only Nardwuar the Human Serviette. Nardwuar also
lends his hand to the scene by running his own label, spinning
records on college radio, putting on all ages shows, harassing
celebs on MuchMusic(basically the MTV of Canada) and any other
way one can be involved with their music scene. The Evaporators
is an all star band also featuring members of The New
Pronographers, Canned Hamm, and The Smugglers, so you know they
rip. What we have here are 15 tracks of Ritalin induced spasms
of joy with jangly, booty shaking guitar riffs sure to get the
crowd boogieing. This record is a must for you garage rock and
or power pop enthusiasts who don’t take life too seriously, if
you don’t have a silly sense of humor, go check out a metal
record or somethin’, this isn’t for you Mr. Serious guy. If
you’re a goof ball like me, this will be the sound track of your
life. In the words of Nardwuar, I give this record a “doot doola
doot doo… doot doo!!!" All hail the mighty Evaporators!

[nardwuar]

from:


http://www.subba-cultcha.com/article_album.php?id=6633

Members of the New Pornographers introduce us to the world of crispy space bacon and berry eating sasquatches.

You have to pay attention to a band who are led by a singer called Nardwuar the human serviette and start their album with a track called ‘Where’s the Butterknife?’ Ten years of entertaining Canada with their garage rock with humour seems to have paid off. Although this collective of members of The New Pornographers and Canned Hamm apparently ‘work hard for their funny.’


Embracing everything Canadian the band have named the album after Vancouver pioneer Captain John Deighton who got his nickname because he talked too much. They take his baton and run with it on ‘You Got Me into This, Now You get Me Out!’ which is reminiscent of The Dandy Warhols. This is followed by the title track, which sounds quite like The Brakes. Then they introduce us to Canadian artist and gentle soul E. J. Hughes and teach us to shake with the Shaggy Shaker. The ranting ‘Do the eggbeater your taste is coming through the receiver,’ is the mid album mayhem. Then comes the jokey high-pitched mania of ‘Sasquatch and Me Ate Berries for Free.’ The world of PVC-based disc media gets a mention next. Apparently ‘Evatone Sound Sheets can’t be beat even if they end up crushed like meat.’ On ‘What If I Care About the People Who Live in the Seas Around Me,’ they are cruising through the oceans, learning about lotions. You have to laugh!


These Canadian ambassadors apparently perform a frighteningly interactive show. In the same manner on disc throw one surreal track after another at you at a frenetic knock down pace. It’s like listening to Iggy Pop leading Half Man Half Biscuit on acid. The album ends with a set to between Nardwuar and Courtney Love. This celebrity marauder gives the impression of being as relentlessly off the wall as Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. The resulting sound is a rollicking romp that uses clever arrangements and speed changes to keep you interested. It’s a quirky, playful punk in-joke, which leaves you quite exhausted by the end but having enjoyed the ride.

By: Mandy Williams

[nardwuar]

from:

http://www.straight.com/article-126132/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-of-2007

Music Features
The good, the bad, and the ugly of 2007

TOP PLEASANT SURPRISES

The Evaporators Gassy Jack and Other Tales Sure, Nardwuar the Human Serviette is a world-class goofball, but the mulleted pest has grown into a talented songwriter with a solid grasp of garage-pop hooks. Who else could have come up with a rhyme as brilliant as "My balls are stuck to a bench/My mind can't stand the stench"?

[xinit]

Some good reviews in there; I do like the subba-cultcha one, even if it plays up the "New Pornographers Side Project" angle a bit much.

Nice bit from The Straight too... Top Pleasant Surprise...

[nardwuar]

from:

http://www.lmnop.com/2008-Jan-LMNOP-Reviews.html#anchor241083


The Evaporaters - Gassy Jack and Other Tales (CD, Mint / Nardwuar, Pop/rock)

We've always liked The Evaporators. But now, after hearing this CD and seeing videos of the band performing live, well...now you just might say that we've fallen in love. This band's music incorporates all the best elements from bands like The Dickies, The Buzzcocks, and The Pocket Fishrmen. These guys play funny, bright, catchy upbeat buzzsaw pop infused with infectious playful passion and unbridled enthusiasm. On this release, perpetual self-promoter Nardwuar The Human Serviette is joined by bandmates David Carswell (guitar, vocals), Hamm (bass, organ, piano), John Collins (bass), Scott Livingstone (drums), and Megan Barnes (vocals). This album presents fifteen tracks that show just how tight and effective The Evaporators really are these days. In an age when so many people have lost their enthusiasm and sense of humor...Gassy Jack comes across like a refreshing freezing cold bucket of water thrown in the face of those who take music way too seriously. Killer tracks include "Where's The Butterknife?", "Gassy Jack," "Shakin' With the Shaggy Shaker," "Evatone Soundsheets," "Crispy Space Bacon," and "St. Roch." These guys are pumping up the bar...showing what we should expect from twenty-first century rock bands. Highly recommended. (Rating: 5+++)


from:

http://www.hybridmagazine.com/reviews/0408/evaporators.shtml

The Evaporators
Gassy Jack And Other Tales
Mint Records

Canada is a place of mystery to Upper-Middle Americans. It's a frosty wonderland of French-speaking NTO protesters, the native land of comedians, the birthplace of D.O.A. (the Canadian ones) and Subhumans (the Canadian ones.) A marvelous place where music television means music videos rather than insipid reality shows about rich 16-year old girls. And it is the natural habitat of the Nardwaur, the most annoying mammal in North America . Boasting a Prince Valiant haircut and squeaky voice, The Nardwaur is related to the Peter Pan Pixie of Pixyland.org fame, except that it performs ambush interviews on Muchmusic.

Surprisingly, when the hairy-chested Nardwaur fronts The Evaporators (the Canadian ones,) it's no more irritating than say…The Dickies or Vandals. Once the high-speed classic punk and garage rock silliness kicks in you're hooked. The Smugglers' David Carswell is a brilliant guitarist. More Joey Santiago than Yngwie Malmsteen, he utilizes masterful tones playing just the right notes. Nardwaur (real name Nardwaur the Human Serviette) fancies himself a historian of punk (the Canadian ones.) Tidbits of local legends serve as lyrical clues like a bizarre version of National Treasure letting us in on the inside joke. And offhand onstage comment from The Pointed Sticks becomes a self-abusive dance sensation "Do the Eggbeater." In a scene worthy of a Cremaster movie, an incident on the 21 Jump Street set involving testicle stapling delivers the punchline, "Where's the Butterknife?" "What if I Care About the People Who Live in the Seas Around Me?" features a sweet hippy sentiment, an even sweeter organ warble and Carswell picking out a buzzy Flaming Lips riff. Several notable figures from Vancouver's rich past share time with tabloid subjects Sasquatch and lunar conspiracy theorists. These catchy tunes will visit you on a rotating basis like a festive spectre bent on instilling the Christmas spirit.

Joyful videos of keyboard surfing and superheroes only exacerbate the stupidly giddy fun. Nardwaur riles crowds up with his endearingly retarded enthusiasm. The band and one fem-tard demonstrate more national pride than the combined cast of The Red Green Show. The Evaporators more than make up for foisting Martin Short on us.

-Gus the Talking Mute

[nardwuar]

from

http://exd.sohc.org/RE10.php


Evaporators, The “Gassy Jack and Other Tales” CD
The EVAPORATORS are totally the territory of indie rock, but this release is built around punk rock legends. Start with the cover. It’s a tribute to the SUBHUMANS “Incorrect thoughts”. The story of the lengths the band went to replicate the bus and the ads and the folks on the bus is found in the liner notes. Worth the read. I totally recommend that you keep reading because Nardwaur helps explain what might seem like a bunch of random acts into Vancouver punk lore. From the guitarist of DEATH SENTENCE and the “Where’s the Butterknife” story to the POINTED STICKS reference of “Do the Eggbeater” to the SLOW, VILLAINS, ENIGMAS, and YOUNG CANADIANS references in “Shakin’ with the Shaggy Shaker”. When there isn’t punk references, the EVAPORATORS are pulling in other funny historical references about Vancouver. E.J. Hughes is a painter who painted BC. Or the title track “Gasy Jack” is about a ship captain who had the gift of the gab and earned the nickname gassy as a result. That’s what makes this such a great title. I think that most of this was inspired by Nardwaur’s conversation with Bev Davies which would explain why she appears on the cover. The interview from the punk rock calendar was pretty incredible in terms of the punk show archaeology that took place. The Courtney Love outro is evidence that Nardwaur’s interviews inform a lot of the subject matter behind this. Overall “Gassy Jack” reminds me of the DICKIES but with a Vancouver focus. Keep it up. (Mint Records / P.O. Box 3613 / Vancouver, BC / V6H 3Y6 / Canada / www.mintrecs.com) - SP

[nardwuar]

from:

http://www.youthink.ca/reviews/localbands/08JanLocal/TheEvaporators.html

THE EVAPORATORS
Gassy Jack and Other Tales

****

By Sophia Kim – Pinetree Secondary School, Coquitlam BC

Irresistibly Canadian, Nardwuar rules!

Listening to Nardwuar of the Evaporators sing and squeak about “social housing for the needy” and “thirsty mill workers” of the gold rush is as essential to Vancouverism as Stanley Park or the Canucks. Cheeky and cheerful, Gassy Jack and Other Tales is a fast-paced mix of quirky BC facts, tinny shouts, and seemingly random slogans. The “what the heck?” moments on this endearing album are abundant. I dare you to listen to Sasquatch and Me Ate Berries for Free without laughing out loud at its ridiculous hysteria. So don’t be a prude and start Shakin’ withe the Shaggy Shaker!

Sophia’s fave track: Sasquatch and Me Ate Berries for Free

[nardwuar]

from:

http://www.synthesis.net/music/review/item-6663/2008-01-09-the_evaporators_gassy_jack_and_other_tales

The Evaporators
Gassy Jack and Other Tales
Written By: Mike Rosen-Molina

Editor's Review:
The Evaporators do goofy, haphazard garage rock that really could only play on college radio or Dr. Demento. Vocalist Nardwuar may have a nasal voice that makes him sound like a dime-store Beastie Boy, but they’ve got a sweet novelty skiffle that makes it all better. Don’t bother looking for any deeper meaning in these songs; the Evaporators seem to write lyrics on the fly, playing word games to see how long they can build songs on increasingly bizarre rhymes. It gets pretty interesting when they scramble for something to rhyme after “Crispy Space Bacon,” which the liner notes claim is really a disguised prank polemic about how the moon landing was a hoax. Then there’s “Sasquatch and Me Ate Berries for Free” — about eating free berries with Sasquatch.

[nardwuar]

from:

http://www.culturebully.com/the-evaporators-gassy-jack-and-other-tales-review


The Evaporators “Gassy Jack and Other Tales” Review


Fitting that the title of The Evaporators’ latest release is aimed at a British Columbian pioneer known for his outgoing ability to support any conversation with his endless amusing exchanges. Fitting in that the group’s lead singer, affectionately known by the public as Nardwuar the Human Serviette, has grown to near legendary status himself in the greater Vancouver region for his…gassiness…as a local radio & television personality. Even more proper, possibly, is the album cover’s ode to The Subhumans as it pays tribute to a band that has historically been given little credit while it continually made genuine music. Such an album cover is terribly appropriate given that The Evaporators, after some twenty one years of playing songs together while flaunting their commercial inelasticity, have now released their finest, most dedicated, genuine collection of songs.

Not to say that the band hasn’t focused historically on making albums that are musically quenching, but The Evaporators have typically been viewed as a side project, one that allowed its members to blow off some steam aside from their respective day-jobs. So much a side project that despite the band’s extensive time line it had until this album produced only three others before it. Gassy Jack, however, sounds and feels as though it were made by a band dedicated primarily to it. In another show of dedication Stephen Hamm took over the primary role as bassist in the band for the album and subsequent shows as John Collins (who still contributed heavily) dedicated his time to The New Pornographers. With that commitment the band refined its sound and focus, pushing it far beyond favorites such as 1998’s “I Gotta Rash,” and 2004’s “Addicted to Cheese.” And while the album’s tone isn’t entirely unique, still reaching out at times to Sasquatch and “Crispy Space Bacon,” The Evaporators developed Gassy Jack with an emphasis strong in terms of having a nature of actual substance; whatever that may mean.



Nardwuar pleads “please understand my emotion” on the fantastic “What If I Care About The People Who Live in the Seas Around Me,” which is as adult a statement as any other I’ve ever heard from the near forty year old singer. The rapid bass introduction sounding of an honestly fulfilling line from Morningwood’s delicately horrible “Nth Degree,” the song develops into a chorus of shattering guitar surrounding Nardwaur’s almost surprisingly harmonic voice. Continuing the strange transformation “St. Roch” appears as close to a classic rock Evaporators as “Evatone Soundsheets” is to being the band’s street walking garage rock anthem.



Far from it for anyone to judge another, especially one that they only know through recordings or television spots from their youth, but the difference in direction that this album offers leads one to believe that Gassy Jack is a turning point for Nardwuar. While never appearing to shy away from conversation he’s never sounded more confident with expressing the ideas of his songs than with Gassy Jack. So too, the band sounds as though the album departs from a routine of playing recklessly for the sake of doing so in favor of attempting to focus on the ability that always seemed to harbor slightly beneath the surface of each previous recording. No more apparent is this than with the track “Desolation Sound” which starts with a witty skipping beat before safely easing into the background, allowing Nardwaur to explain, “It’s here I feel away from the world, it’s here I feel away from the cold. It’s here I will grow old, too bad I’ll to what I’m told.” It’s an honest shame that it took him twenty years to write his best song about adolescensce.

[nardwuar]

from:

http://blogs.usatoday.com/listenup/2008/01/first-impress-2.html#uslPageReturn

By Ken Barnes

Evaporators, Gassy Jack and Other Tales (out now, Canadian import): Imagine a rock scholar who knows virtually every last minute detail about his country's musical heritage (Canada, in this case). Now imagine this character is also one of the most persistent (some would say to a frightening degree) interviewers and one of the country's most eccentric personalities. Now imagine this guy has a band ... OK, don't want to strain your imaginations too far, but Nardwuar the Human Serviette is all those things I described above and his band The Evaporators are every bit as intriguing as all that might promise. The sound is basic pop-punk, with the ratio about even (though variable on a per-song basis), and the topics are fascinating, as Nardwuar extends his celebration of Canadiana to historic poets and the like. Plenty o' fun to be had.

[nardwuar]

from:

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/53572/the-evaporators-gassy-jack-and-other-tales/


The Evaporators
Gassy Jack and Other Tales
(Mint)
US release date: 6 November 2007
UK release date: 14 January 2008
by Adrien Begrand

In less capable hands, the various stunts by Nardwuar the Human Serviette would be deemed the work of a self-serving media whore, but for 20 years, the squeaky-voiced, tam-wearing musician/TV personality/radio DJ/historian/Vancouver institution pulls it off, whether it’s bewildering celebrity musicians with his confrontational (yet weirdly charming) interviewing style, his unparalleled knowledge of Canadian rock music history, and his always fun band the Evaporators. Modeled after fellow West Coast punks the Smugglers and the Subhumans, Nardwuar and his bandmates churn out short, catchy, upbeat punk/garage/pop nuggets with remarkable consistency, and while their new album might not have anything as uproarious as “Addicted to Cheese” and “I Feel Like a Fat Frustrated Fuck” from 2004’s Ripple Rock, Gassy Jack and Other Tales is still worthwhile. Accompanied by Narwuar’s always-fascinating liner notes, the songs touch on such eccentric topics as Vancouver’s folk heroes ("Gassy Jack"), Evatone soundsheets (uh, “Evatone Soundsheets"), distinct slices of Canadiana ("St. Roch”, “Float Plane"), and the most infamous, bizarre moment in Vancouver punk rock history ("Where’s the Butterknife"). What’s most interesting, though, is how Nard has toned down his nasal whine on this record, and that his three-piece band, which includes New Pornographer John Collins, is willing to try some new ideas, such as the furious groove of “What If I Care About the People Who Live in the Seas Around Me?”

[Matt Bug]

I just found out about the new Evaporators release from my lovely, local community radio station KDHX 88.1 FM, St. Louis MO! Now I will need to sell a few old baseball cards - or better yet, some of those "rock star" trading cards(!) - to raise purchasing funds! I think I have a rookie Bono card around here somewhere... Anywheez - This is great news! I am excited!

Will there be a tour? Visit St. Louis! S'il vous plait! S'il vous plait!
_________________
Reagan is dead! Rock'n'roll lives! The year is 1! the year is 1!

[nardwuar]

Hullo Matt! Thanks for finding the CD! We do hope to tour! Thanks again! Have a good brunch! Nardwuar

[nardwuar]

from:

http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/evaporators/gassy-jack-and-other-tales/17078/

The Evaporators
Gassy Jack and Other Tales
Release Date: November 6, 2007
Label: Mint / Nardwuar
Rating: 7.0 out of 10
By: Mike Burr

First of all, there is nothing about flatulence on Gassy Jack and Other Tales. The Evaporators like a good joke, but body humor is a little below them. Gassy Jack was Vancouver pioneer and saloon owner John Deighton, who received his nickname for his chattiness rather than a gas problem. And if replacing a fart joke with a history lesson wasn’t enough, The Evaporators throw in a little populist social conscience at the end of the tune. Gassy Jack and Other Tales keeps these curve balls coming over its fifteen tracks, due mostly to the presence of Nardwuar the Human Serviette.

Nardwuar is something of a Canadian treasure, keeping his college-radio show since 1987, interviewing music personalities from Snoop Dogg to Marilyn Manson, and performing “Hip Flips” with two former Prime Ministers. In addition to being the Canadian Borat, Nardwuar can put together a pretty mean pop melody. Backed by bassist John Collins of the New Pornographers, guitarist David Carswell of the Smugglers and drummer Scott Livingstone, Nardwuar’s compositions are catchy and quick pop-punk numbers, often clocking in under two minutes. At that length, the guitar line and chorus are the focal points; the Canadian history is hardly noticed.

Aside from the civic pride, Gassy Jack and Other Tales contains quite a bit of other lunacy. “Shakin’ With the Shaggy Shaker” and “Do the Eggbeater” are fifties novelty dance tunes delivered with punk sensibility. “What If I Care About the People in the Sea Around Me?” and “Crispy Space Bacon” deliver free association that comes out sounding like a jam album turned up to 45 speed. Gassy Jack and Other Tales is all over the place, and it shows that punk, nationalism and crazy are all alive and well in the Great White North.

[nardwuar]

from:

http://www.hybridmagazine.com/reviews/0408/evaporators.shtml

The Evaporators
Gassy Jack And Other Tales
Mint Records

Canada is a place of mystery to Upper-Middle Americans. It's a frosty wonderland of French-speaking NTO protesters, the native land of comedians, the birthplace of D.O.A. (the Canadian ones) and Subhumans (the Canadian ones.) A marvelous place where music television means music videos rather than insipid reality shows about rich 16-year old girls. And it is the natural habitat of the Nardwaur, the most annoying mammal in North America . Boasting a Prince Valiant haircut and squeaky voice, The Nardwaur is related to the Peter Pan Pixie of Pixyland.org fame, except that it performs ambush interviews on Muchmusic.

Surprisingly, when the hairy-chested Nardwaur fronts The Evaporators (the Canadian ones,) it's no more irritating than say…The Dickies or Vandals. Once the high-speed classic punk and garage rock silliness kicks in you're hooked. The Smugglers' David Carswell is a brilliant guitarist. More Joey Santiago than Yngwie Malmsteen, he utilizes masterful tones playing just the right notes. Nardwaur (real name Nardwaur the Human Serviette) fancies himself a historian of punk (the Canadian ones.) Tidbits of local legends serve as lyrical clues like a bizarre version of National Treasure letting us in on the inside joke. And offhand onstage comment from The Pointed Sticks becomes a self-abusive dance sensation "Do the Eggbeater." In a scene worthy of a Cremaster movie, an incident on the 21 Jump Street set involving testicle stapling delivers the punchline, "Where's the Butterknife?" "What if I Care About the People Who Live in the Seas Around Me?" features a sweet hippy sentiment, an even sweeter organ warble and Carswell picking out a buzzy Flaming Lips riff. Several notable figures from Vancouver's rich past share time with tabloid subjects Sasquatch and lunar conspiracy theorists. These catchy tunes will visit you on a rotating basis like a festive spectre bent on instilling the Christmas spirit.

Joyful videos of keyboard surfing and superheroes only exacerbate the stupidly giddy fun. Nardwaur riles crowds up with his endearingly retarded enthusiasm. The band and one fem-tard demonstrate more national pride than the combined cast of The Red Green Show. The Evaporators more than make up for foisting Martin Short on us.

-Gus the Talking Mute