Megapuss

Last updated

Megapuss is a band with the following members: Devendra Banhart, Gregory Rogove (of Priestbird), Fabrizio Moretti (of The Strokes), and Noah Georgeson (member of Devendra's band and his producer). [1] Megapuss formed as a joke between Banhart and Rogove, where they created the song titles first and wrote humorous songs based on the titles.

Contents

Their debut album Surfing was released October 7, 2008, and featured a few guest performances such as Aziz Ansari in the song "Duck People". Their album was more or less critically panned and deemed too light and crude, [2] although many appreciate it for its humor and its solid songs. [3]

Surfing

Surfing
Studio album by
Megapuss
ReleasedOctober 7, 2008 (2008-10-07)
Genre Experimental rock, indie folk
Length47:57
Label Vapor Records
Singles from Surfing
  1. "Adam & Steve"
    Released: November 7, 2008 [4]

Surfing is the only studio album by Megapuss. It was released digitally on September 16, 2008, and physically on October 7, 2008, on Vapor Records. Actor Aziz Ansari contributed to the song "Duck People Duck Man". [5]

Album art

The album cover, which depicts the band's two members, Devendra Banhart and Greg Rogove, fighting each other naked, proved controversial upon its release. Rebecca Nicholson wrote that it "takes nudity away from vulnerability, and even sexiness, and hands it right back to the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, circa their sock-donning period. Yes, it's obnoxious, but that has to be better than soft-focus sincerity." [6] The booklet that comes with the album contains even more graphic nude images of Banhart and Rogove. [7]

Singles

A single, "Adam & Steve" was released on November 7, 2008, along with a music video directed by Amy Jo Diaz. Allison Stewart described the song and music video as, respectively, "a freak pop version of the Doors", and "entertaining as heck, like something the Monkees might have come up with after not showering for several weeks. And taking lots of drugs." [8] The music video was also reviewed by Spin, in which it was described as "a sweetly endearing, jokingly homoerotic display the likes of which hasn't been seen since, well, the latest Judd Apatow movie." [9]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic (66%) [10]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Pitchfork Media (5.9/10) [12]
Robert Christgau Scissors icon black.svg [13]
The A.V. Club (B) [14]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]
The Harvard Crimson Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [16]

The album was met with lukewarm reception after its release, with many critics dismissing it as an intentional joke. [11] [12] Still, the album did receive some positive reception, with Andy Battaglia writing it had a "sense of musical adventurousness more engrossing than any on Banhart albums in the past." [14] According to Metacritic, the album has a score of 66%, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [10]

Track listing

  1. Crop Circle Jerk '94 4:30
  2. Duck People Duck Man 3:25
  3. To The Love Within 2:38
  4. Adam & Steve 1:46
  5. Theme From Hollywood 4:42
  6. Surfing 5:02
  7. Lavender Blimp 1:18
  8. Mister Meat (Hot Rejection) 0:25
  9. Hamman 3:46
  10. A Gun on His Hip and a Rose on His Chest 3:09
  11. Chicken Titz 3:56
  12. Sayulita 7:07
  13. Older Lives 3:27
  14. Another Mother 2:46

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabrizio Moretti</span> Brazilian-American drummer

Fabrizio Moretti is a Brazilian-American musician and visual artist best known as the drummer for American rock band The Strokes, with whom he has released six studio albums since 2001. A collaborative artist, he has been part of a series of groups since the mid-2000s, most notably the Brazilian-American band Little Joy, which released one album in 2008, and the experimental pop collective Machinegum, which he has led since 2018. Throughout his career, Moretti has worked on a variety of art projects which span the mediums of drawing, sculpture, and installation and performance art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devendra Banhart</span> American folk singer (born 1981)

Devendra Obi Banhart is an American-Venezuelan singer-songwriter and visual artist. Banhart was born in Texas, and raised in Venezuela and California. In 2000, he dropped out of the San Francisco Art Institute to pursue a musical career. In 2002, Banhart released his debut album and is best known for his albums in the late 2000s such as Cripple Crow and Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon. He has since expanded his career to incorporate his interest and training in the visual arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vetiver (band)</span> American folk music band

Vetiver is an American folk band headed by songwriter Andy Cabic.

Psychedelic folk is a loosely defined form of psychedelia that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of folk, but adds musical elements common to psychedelic music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vashti Bunyan</span> English singer-songwriter

Jennifer Vashti Bunyan is an English singer-songwriter. She began her career in the mid-1960s and released a debut album, Just Another Diamond Day, in 1970. The album sold very few copies and Bunyan, discouraged, abandoned her musical career. By 2000, her album had acquired a cult following; it was re-released and Bunyan recorded more songs, initiating the second phase of her musical career after a gap of thirty years. She released two more albums, Lookaftering in 2005, and Heartleap in 2014.

<i>Cripple Crow</i> 2005 studio album by Devendra Banhart

Cripple Crow is the fifth album by American-Venezuelan psychedelic folk musician Devendra Banhart released on September 13, 2005 on XL Recordings. It was his first release on the label XL Recordings. The cover references the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aziz Ansari</span> American actor and comedian

Aziz Ismail Ansari is an American actor, filmmaker and stand-up comedian. He is known for his role as Tom Haverford on the NBC series Parks and Recreation (2009–2015) and as creator and star of the Netflix series Master of None (2015–2021) for which he won several acting and writing awards, including two Emmys and a Golden Globe, which was the first award received by an Asian American actor for acting on television.

<i>Rejoicing in the Hands</i> 2004 studio album by Devendra Banhart

Rejoicing in the Hands is the third studio album from psychedelic folk musician Devendra Banhart and the second full release for the label Young God. It was recorded during 2003 and was released on April 24, 2004.

<i>Niño Rojo</i> 2004 studio album by Devendra Banhart

Niño Rojo is the fourth studio release by freak folk artist Devendra Banhart and his third release on the label Young God Records. It was released on September 13, 2004.

<i>Jana Hunter / Devendra Banhart</i> 2005 studio album (split) by Jana Hunter and Devendra Banhart

Jana Hunter/Devendra Banhart is a self-titled split album by Devendra Banhart and Jana Hunter, released in 2005 on LP only by Troubleman Unlimited. It features cover art by Arthur Bates and pressed on yellow vinyl.

<i>Vetiver</i> (album) 2004 studio album by Vetiver

Vetiver is the debut album by folk band Vetiver. It was released in 2004 on DiCristina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodrigo Amarante</span> Brazilian guitarist, bassist, singer, songwriter and arranger

Rodrigo Amarante de Castro Neves is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger. He is part of the bands Los Hermanos, Orquestra Imperial, and Little Joy, and released his first solo record, Cavalo, in Brazil in late 2013 and worldwide in May 2014. He also wrote and performed the narcocorrido "Tuyo", the theme song for the Netflix Original Series Narcos (2015) and Narcos: Mexico (2018), and wrote the score for the film Entebbe (2018).

Little Joy is a rock supergroup formed in 2007 by Los Hermanos singer-songwriter Rodrigo Amarante, The Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti, and Binki Shapiro. They released Little Joy, their only album, in 2008.

Dominique Leone is an American musician and writer based in New York City.

<i>What Will We Be</i> 2009 studio album by Devendra Banhart

What Will We Be is Devendra Banhart's seventh studio album released on October 27, 2009, on Warner Bros. Records. The album was co-produced by Banhart and Paul Butler from A Band of Bees. Rejoining Banhart are old band mates Noah Georgeson, Greg Rogove, Luckey Remington, and Rodrigo Amarante, all of whom worked with him on his previous album, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon.

Gregory Samuel Rogove is an American indie music drummer and songwriter. He is notable for partnering with indie artist Devendra Banhart to form the group Megapuss. He signed a record contract with Knitting Factory Records in 2011.

<i>Mala</i> (Devendra Banhart album) 2013 studio album by Devendra Banhart

Mala is the eighth studio album by American folk rock musician Devendra Banhart, released on March 12, 2013 on Nonesuch Records. The album was produced by Banhart and Noah Georgeson, and mastered by Greg Calbi.

<i>Ape in Pink Marble</i> 2016 studio album by Devendra Banhart

Ape in Pink Marble is the ninth studio album by folk rock musician Devendra Banhart, released on September 23, 2016 on Nonesuch Records. The album was written, produced, arranged, and recorded in Los Angeles by the singer/songwriter/guitarist with his longtime collaborators Noah Georgeson and Josiah Steinbrick, both of whom also worked on Banhart's previous album, Mala (2013).

<i>Ma</i> (Devendra Banhart album) 2019 studio album by Devendra Banhart

Ma is the tenth studio album by Venezuelan-American musician Devendra Banhart. It was released on September 13, 2019 on Nonesuch Records.

<i>Flying Wig</i> 2023 studio album by Devendra Banhart

Flying Wig is the eleventh studio album by Venezuelan-American musician Devendra Banhart. It was released on September 22, 2023, as his label debut on Mexican Summer.

References

  1. ↑ "Freeload: Megapuss, "Crop Circle Jerk '94" « The FADER". Thefader.com. 2008-06-19. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  2. ↑ "Album Reviews: Megapuss: Surfing". Pitchfork. 2008-11-07. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  3. ↑ "Megapuss Revealed or: I Believe Your Dick Skirt Is Caught on My Microphone « The FADER". Thefader.com. 2008-06-19. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  4. ↑ vapor1460 (7 November 2008). "Megapuss - "Adam and Steve"". Archived from the original on 2021-12-15 – via YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ "Megapuss Revealed or: I Believe Your Dick Skirt Is Caught on My Microphone".
  6. ↑ Nicholson, Rebecca (30 September 2008). "Nudity's back". The Guardian . Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  7. ↑ Phillips, Amy (25 September 2008). "Megapuss LP Art Features Devendra's Naughty Bits (NSFW!)". Pitchfork Media . Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  8. ↑ Stewart, Allison (11 November 2008). "Singles File". Washington Post . Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  9. ↑ Everdell, Abigail (10 November 2008). "In Defense of Tender Man Love". Spin . Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  10. 1 2 "Surfing". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  11. 1 2 Bush, John. "Surfing Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  12. 1 2 Gaerig, Andrew (7 November 2008). "Surfing Review". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  13. ↑ "Robert Christgau: CG: megapuss".
  14. 1 2 Battaglia, Andy (1 December 2008). "Surfing". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  15. ↑ Fiander, Matthew (30 November 2008). "Megapuss: Surfing". PopMatters. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  16. ↑ Davis, Ruben L. (9 October 2008). "Megapuss". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 14 May 2014.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.