Chris O'Connor recorded the material that comprises
Rocket at a friend's garage, releasing it independently to no fanfare. Somehow, the song "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money in My Hand" made its way to the soundtrack for
Jim Carrey's comedy The Cable Guy, and the tune became a surprise hit. With its loping, unthreatening hip-hop beats and its looped
B.B. King sample, "Standing" had all the appeal of an adult novelty for most listeners -- it was something that was out of the ordinary, to be sure, but not something that you would want to investigate much further. Sadly,
Primitive Radio Gods' debut mini-album,
Rocket, proves those doubters right. Apart from "Standing," there is precious little on the album to hold the interest of anyone drawn in by the lead single. Most of
Rocket sounds exactly like somebody messing around with a four-track, more intent on capturing sounds, not songs. Usually, this would at least result in some interesting sounds, but
O'Connor hasn't even managed that. At its core,
Rocket sounds like a demo tape with one promising song. [
Rocket was also released in a "clean" edition, containing no profanities or vulgarities.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine