On Vacation

Robot Ate Me's Ryland Bouchard is a bit of a mad genius, throwing crackly samples, vitriolic political commentary, waltz-time rhythms, hand-made artwork, sweetly innocent electronic bleeps and gurgles, and cryptically wonderful lyrics into a bizarre yet enlightening musical melange that delicately walks the line between insanity and sheer, impenetrable brilliance. The band's ambitious double-disc album On Vacation roars out the gates with a bang, having the guts to tackle issues such as genocide, political propaganda, and the spiritual poverty of the Western world - all conveyed using dusty WWII-era samples and Fred Astaire lyrics. The second half of the album takes a rapid about-face, taking the band on vacation to a glisteningly beautiful desert island free of political turmoil - a virtual pop paradise. The irony is biting, complex, and musically and conceptually fascinating. [Fanatic]