The bewildering odyssey of Camper Van Beethoven was seemingly dead in 1989, struck down in acrimony following the band’s second and final major label album, Key Lime Pie. But sporadic catalogue releases and live touring, beginning in 1999, convinced them that a resurrection was on the cards. The result: a sprawling concept album using today’s sociopolitical chaos as a backdrop for its protagonist’s ramble through subcultures of all stripes and ideologies. Not to worry, though, the band’s trademark cracked songcraft?from oddball Middle Eastern instrumentals to arch Kaleidoscope (US)-type rockers to picture-perfect folk-rock?is here in spades.
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