The second
Captain Howdy album finds
Jillette and
Kramer essentially doing what needs to be done -- low-key music blending
Kramer's garage/art rock with perverse accessibility and
Jillette's half-sung half-spoken rants and ruminations, plus a few extra folks helping out. Anyone who's watched Comedy Central for even a little bit of time will immediately think of his endless series of spoken word spots for the station, but with music and him in charge of all the programming. Two covers appearing near the start help to set the tone. First, a revamp of the
Bacharach/
David standard "Always Something There to Remind Me" is ironically even more stiff and robotlike than
Naked Eyes' early-'80s cover. Snippets from some talk show float around the mix while the blend of drum machines and guitar sets a loping, moody tone accentuated by the echo on
Jillette's vocals on the chorus.
Neil Young's "Old Man" then lets the two harmonize in high-pitched fashion while otherwise pulling off a reasonably straightforward version with attractive guitar from both
Kramer and Billy West. Otherwise, it's all originals, with
Jillette's lyrical flights and
Kramer's own contributions resulting in songs like the sleazy "Don't Fuck With the Phoenix" and the pretty, acoustic guitar float of "I Just Wanna Get Laid" (with a hilarious
T. Rex reference in the lyrics). The music is generally loose, a step above full-on jamming but otherwise not making a particular fuss about what it's doing. One amusing combination is the slow, almost waltz-time "Man Bites Dog," with
Jillette backed up by squeaky backing harmonies, and the immediately following "If You Love Me, Kill Your Dog," a gentle ramble (with piano and, apparently, oboe) that's practically dreamy. The overall tone of the album is loopy, gentle trippiness as opposed to in-your-face antics, making Money Feeds a worthy treat for listeners. ~ Ned Raggett