David Bowie always had a way of being lyrically abstract but musically accessible; no matter how complex and left of center his lyrics were, Bowie could pull you in immediately with his melodies, hooks, and grooves. And the same thing can be said about 3D Picnic, an obscure alternative rock/indie rock combo that was active in Los Angeles in the early '90s. That isn't to say that the band actually sounds anything like Bowie or that Picnic is in a class with Bowie's work, but like many of Bowie's albums, Sunshine and ...
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David Bowie always had a way of being lyrically abstract but musically accessible; no matter how complex and left of center his lyrics were, Bowie could pull you in immediately with his melodies, hooks, and grooves. And the same thing can be said about 3D Picnic, an obscure alternative rock/indie rock combo that was active in Los Angeles in the early '90s. That isn't to say that the band actually sounds anything like Bowie or that Picnic is in a class with Bowie's work, but like many of Bowie's albums, Sunshine and Cockroaches tends to have melodies and grooves that are more accessible than the lyrics. Picnic's lyrics, in fact, are quirky and often quite cryptic. Many of the songs deal with relationships, although the humorous "Dirt" seems to be about the late Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos -- but then, the lyrics are so cryptic that you wouldn't know the song was inspired by political events in the Philippines unless you were paying extremely close attention. Musically, one thing that separates Picnic from other alterna-rock combos that were playing the L.A./Hollywood scene in the early '90s is an appreciation of rockabilly and Bakersfield honky tonk. Anyone who has spent a lot of time listening to Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, or Rose Maddox will notice the Bakersfield influence on tunes like "Hold That Thought," "Dirty Yellow House," and "Snitchin'." Picnic doesn't always employ that rockabilly/Bakersfield influence, but it's an effective tool when the Angelinos use it. Sunshine and Cockroaches is slightly uneven; occasionally, a song will be too self-indulgent for its own good. But despite the CD's imperfections, Picnic's risk-taking spirit pays off more often than not. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi
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Add this copy of Sunshine & Cockroaches to cart. $3.00, good condition, Sold by Bookmans rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tucson, AZ, UNITED STATES, published 1995 by Earth Music.
