Green Jellÿ – Garbage Band Kids (Album Review)

In the mid-’90s, a band of cereal killers took the Alternative Rock airwaves by storm with their bratty yet adorable adaptation of the classic fable “Three Little Pigs.” Another comedic Punk-themed album, titled 333, with the carrier single, “The Bear Song,” followed in the ensuing year then nothing much was heard of about the band that is actually named Green Jellÿ (formerly Green Jellö).

Founded in 1981, in Hollywood, California, by leader and constant member Bill Manspeaker, Green Jellÿ returned in 2009 with Musick to Insult Your Intelligence By, only to take another long hiatus soon afterwards. But now the band that gave the Alternative Rock world the 1993 Billboard 200 chart-topping album Cereal Killer Soundtrack is back! Released on Friday, June 11, 2021, via Cleopatra Records, Garbage Band Kids is Green Jellÿ’s fifth studio album.

Their first in 12 years, Garbage Band Kids is a collection of 17 burn-the-house-down sonic killers featuring a slew of special guests; Trailer Park Boys, Suicidal Tendencies, Fishbone, The Dwarves, Piledriver, Hacksaw Jim Duggin, Kittie, among others. Additionally, the album has a fantastic and authentic Garbage Pail Kids throwback style album cover thanks to one of the creator’s of ‘80s trading cards.

Led by the carrier single, “Punk Rock Pope,” it follows Green Jellÿ’s trademark combo of comedic Punk and abrasive Metal. Other standout tracks include “Pukebox,” the speed-o-metallic “Silence of the Squarepants,” “Back Alley Dentist,” and the nostalgic and lyrically referential stomper “Boy Who Cried Wolf.”

Additionally, Green Jellÿ’s latest effort also features a re-recorded version of “Three Little Pigs,” making it not only a display of a stylistically tight and cohesive output, but also a homage to the band’s ’90s heyday. So if Green Jellÿ’s one-time claim that its music was founded on mediocrity was true, then Garbage Band Kids proves that their nearly three decades-long journey has taken its players to a higher level of musicianship. For this, Cryptic Rock gives Garbage Band Kids 4 out of 5 stars.

Like the in-depth, diverse coverage of Cryptic Rock? Help us in support to keep the magazine going strong for years to come with a small donation.

No comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *