Produced by Ardent's in-house main man
John Hampton (
Gin Blossoms,
Replacements)
Techno-Squid Eats Parliament's eponymous debut is a skronky, noisy fusion of sing-song melodies and wheezing guitar noise, with just a hint of the nervous zeal that made early
Buzzcocks albums so fine. The fuzzy, farting guitar chords are balanced by big, stinky grooves and
Alex Chiltonian melodies. For any lover of Anglo-phized, stridently hooky power pop,
Techno-Squid Eats Parliament is a real find. [Editor's note: All of the initial pressings of
Techno-Squid Eats Parliament were designed to have a CD-ROM section as well. In theory, it would play on the computer, not the stereo. In practice, the CD player skipped over the sequencing and played the digitized section, causing the stereo's speakers to blow. Ardent, in their wisdom, released the album with a disclaimer that legally absolved them of any damage the disc may cause.] ~ Erick Fromer