Megapuss

Megapuss is a band with the following members: Devendra Banhart, Gregory Rogove (of Priestbird), Fabrizio Moretti (of The Strokes), and Noah Georgeson (member of Devendra's band and his producer).[1] Megapuss formed as a joke between Banhart and Rogove, where they created the song titles first and wrote humorous songs based on the titles.

Their debut album Surfing was released October 7, 2008, and featured a few guest performances such as Aziz Ansari in the song "Duck People." Their album was more or less critically panned and deemed too light and crude,[2] although many appreciate it for its humor and its solid songs.[3]

Surfing
Surfing
Studio album by
Megapuss
ReleasedOctober 7, 2008 (2008-10-07)
GenreExperimental rock, indie folk
Length47:57
LabelVapor Records
Singles from Surfing
  1. "Adam & Steve"
    Released: November 7, 2008[4]

Surfing is the only studio album by Megapuss. It was released digitally on September 16, 2008, and physically on October 7, 2008, on Vapor Records. Actor Aziz Ansari contributed to the song "Duck People Duck Man".[5]

Album art

The album cover, which depicts the band's two members, Devendra Banhart and Greg Rogove, fighting each other naked, proved controversial upon its release. Rebecca Nicholson wrote that it "takes nudity away from vulnerability, and even sexiness, and hands it right back to the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, circa their sock-donning period. Yes, it's obnoxious, but that has to be better than soft-focus sincerity."[6] The booklet that comes with the album contains even more graphic nude images of Banhart and Rogove.[7]

Singles

A single, "Adam & Steve" was released on November 7, 2008, along with a music video directed by Amy Jo Diaz. Allison Stewart described the song and music video as, respectively, "a freak pop version of the Doors," and "entertaining as heck, like something the Monkees might have come up with after not showering for several weeks. And taking lots of drugs."[8] The music video was also reviewed by Spin, in which it was described as "a sweetly endearing, jokingly homoerotic display the likes of which hasn't been seen since, well, the latest Judd Apatow movie."[9]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(66%)[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[11]
Pitchfork Media(5.9/10)[12]
Robert Christgau(choice cut)[13]
The A.V. Club(B)[14]
PopMatters[15]
The Harvard Crimson[16]

The album was met with lukewarm reception after its release, with many critics dismissing it as an intentional joke.[11][12] Still, the album did receive some positive reception, with Andy Battaglia writing it had a "sense of musical adventurousness more engrossing than any on Banhart albums in the past."[14] According to Metacritic, the album has a score of 66%, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[10]

Track listing
  1. Crop Circle Jerk '94 4:30
  2. Duck People Duck Man 3:25
  3. To The Love Within 2:38
  4. Adam & Steve 1:46
  5. Theme From Hollywood 4:42
  6. Surfing 5:02
  7. Lavender Blimp 1:18
  8. Mister Meat (Hot Rejection) 0:25
  9. Hamman 3:46
  10. A Gun on His Hip and a Rose on His Chest 3:09
  11. Chicken Titz 3:56
  12. Sayulita 7:07
  13. Older Lives 3:27
  14. Another Mother 2:46

References
  1. "Freeload: Megapuss, "Crop Circle Jerk '94" « The FADER". Thefader.com. 2008-06-19. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  2. "Album Reviews: Megapuss: Surfing". Pitchfork. 2008-11-07. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  3. "Megapuss Revealed or: I Believe Your Dick Skirt Is Caught on My Microphone « The FADER". Thefader.com. 2008-06-19. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  4. vapor1460 (7 November 2008). "Megapuss - "Adam and Steve"". Archived from the original on 2021-12-15 – via YouTube.
  5. "Megapuss Revealed or: I Believe Your Dick Skirt Is Caught on My Microphone".
  6. Nicholson, Rebecca (30 September 2008). "Nudity's back". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  7. Phillips, Amy (25 September 2008). "Megapuss LP Art Features Devendra's Naughty Bits (NSFW!)". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  8. Stewart, Allison (11 November 2008). "Singles File". Washington Post. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  9. Everdell, Abigail (10 November 2008). "In Defense of Tender Man Love". Spin. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  10. "Surfing". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  11. Bush, John. "Surfing Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  12. Gaerig, Andrew (7 November 2008). "Surfing Review". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  13. "Robert Christgau: CG: megapuss".
  14. Battaglia, Andy (1 December 2008). "Surfing". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  15. Fiander, Matthew (30 November 2008). "Megapuss: Surfing". PopMatters. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  16. Davis, Ruben L. (9 October 2008). "Megapuss". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 14 May 2014.


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