One of the funniest efforts from the fabled house of Katis (i.e Tarquin and Peter, the Greenwich, CT brothers also responsible for the Philistines Jr., the Zambonies, James Kochalka Superstar, the Pork Guys, Jazzin' Hell, etc.),
The Happiest Guys in the World is just what the title implies: a celebration of all things good, happy and positive. On this album, Peter Katis plays drums. Guitar duties are handled with panache by Leon. As with most Katis-related projects, it's a little hard to tell when the jokes end and the "real" music begins, but of course that's part of the charm. These guys have made a career of (almost) always straddling the fine line between childlike innocence and rabid cynicism. Here they consistently and happily (pun intended) come out on the former side of the fence. That said, songs with titles like "Welcome Aliens!" "Hey! Hey! It's the Vegetable Man!" and "Thank You Dr. Heimlich!" (all
Happiest Guys song titles are followed by exclamation points) can't help but be hilarious to anyone but the most serious, crystal-worshipping hippy. Musically, this album is somewhat less musically ambitious than the Philistines Jr.'s music, but there are some nice horn, guitar and bagpipe(!) solos thrown into the mix, which add a bit of spice to the Happiest Guys' stew of three chords and appealingly chirpy melodies. ~ Pemberton Roach