With fourteen tracks of silly power pop, ‘A League of Extraordinary Octopuses’ isn’t overly sugary sweet, but it’s certainly a good time. The Fur Coats, from Chicago, feature Marc Ruvolo and Davey Houle (both of Das Kapital) and Devon Kay (Devon Kay and the Solutions/Direct Hit!). The three work well together, flying through the 14 songs on the record in around a half an hour. Some of the tracks are reminiscent of bands like fellow Chicagoans Dan Vapid and the Cheats, while the vocal delivery and lyrical content bring to mind the Dead Milkmen.
The title track and record opener is full of fanfare, the bassline and horns perhaps misleading some into thinking they’re going to be listening to a ska record. But this introduction is more like the announcement of an incoming parade, the band swaggering in with gusto: “We’re here, you’re listening to us, and you’re going to like it!” Kay’s basslines are also fairly noticeable in each song; thankfully, the rest of the band matches this — the album is incredibly easy to listen to.
The main reason ‘A League of Extraordinary Octopuses’ is so much fun, though, is this “you’re going to like this” attitude, as well as the lyrics — they’re delivered in a way that they get into your brain and stay there, but they also display some fun tongue-in-cheek humour. They’re not downright in-your-face funny, but most of them are pretty silly, and you’d be hard-pressed not to crack a grin when you listen to some of the tunes. Folks who picked up the 7” single released back in February of 2013 will already be familiar with ‘Goddamn, I’m a Handsome Man!’, but its inclusion on the band’s debut record was a good idea as well — it’s a great tune. While the chorus is the catchy part (who wouldn’t want to sing along with “Goddamn, goddamn, goddamn I’m a handsome man!”?), lines like the opening ones are more memorable just because of how silly they are. “Please accept my apology for barfing in your car, I probably didn’t need those last shots. Did I really grab your brother’s ass and kick your fuzzy cat? I was out of line – even if he’s hot.”
Tracks like ‘Tiny Fists’ (from another previously released single) and newer songs like ‘Red/Blue’ and ‘What the Fuck Do I Do Now?’ are just as fun, but it’s ‘I Read Tons of Ayn Rand, Dude’ near the end of the record that’s been stuck in my head since last week. This blend of pop punk and power pop comes to a head here; the entire record is catchy, but this is one of the fastest and most entertaining songs on the record. Unfortunately, it’s also just over a minute long, which they actually cover in the lyrics (“Just keep it short and to the point, don’t tell me what to do!”) but that means you can repeat it a bunch of times while listening to the record.
SARAH SCANLON