The Captain Howdy - Money Feeds My Music Machine

Ned Raggett wrote in the All Music Guide:

The second Captain Howdy album finds Jillette and Kramer essentially doing what needs to be done -- low-key music blending Kramer's garage/art rock with perverse accessibility and Jillette's half-sung half-spoken rants and ruminations, plus a few extra folks helping out. Anyone who's watched Comedy Central for even a little bit of time will immediately think of his endless series of spoken word spots for the station, but with music and him in charge of all the programming. Two covers appearing near the start help to set the tone. First, a revamp of the Bacharach/David standard "Always Something There to Remind Me" is ironically even more stiff and robotlike than Naked Eyes' early-'80s cover. Snippets from some talk show float around the mix while the blend of drum machines and guitar sets a loping, moody tone accentuated by the echo on Jillette's vocals on the chorus.

Neil Young's "Old Man" then lets the two harmonize in high-pitched fashion while otherwise pulling off a reasonably straightforward version with attractive guitar from both Kramer and Billy West. Otherwise, it's all originals, with Jillette's lyrical flights and Kramer's own contributions resulting in songs like the sleazy "Don't Fuck With the Phoenix" and the pretty, acoustic guitar float of "I Just Wanna Get Laid" (with a hilarious T. Rex reference in the lyrics). The music is generally loose, a step above full-on jamming but otherwise not making a particular fuss about what it's doing. One amusing combination is the slow, almost waltz-time "Man Bites Dog," with Jillette backed up by squeaky backing harmonies, and the immediately following "If You Love Me, Kill Your Dog," a gentle ramble (with piano and, apparently, oboe) that's practically dreamy. The overall tone of the album is loopy, gentle trippiness as opposed to in-your-face antics, making Money Feeds a worthy treat!

Published by knitting factory / shimmy disc