Vegetable House Time
Wednesday, 08 April 2009 14:29 | 
Author: The Grouch | 
This review is of another older and not widely known album by a group I saw and liked: The Wanna-Bees.
Back in the early 90's my then future wife was studying at the University of Helsinki. I went there to spend the winter holidays with her. Almost every Finn I met on the plane thought I must be crazy. It was very cold!
I first heard what seems to be a common mantra ...that is that Finland is some kind of backwoods hick country that lacks any good music – the kind of place where Zampfir master of the pan flute would sell out a stadium as quickly as your tongue would stick to metal pipe in February..
While I agree that Finland (even Helsinki which is in the southern most part of the country) IS COLD in December, I found a lot of music that I liked there.
Case in point The Wanna-Bees.
I saw these guys in a small club. They are a trio, but make the same amount of noise of a 5 or 6 piece outfit.
The three Wanna-Bees have a raw energetic sound that features a killer back beat. The only criticism I
have is that on the Vegetable Time CD almost every song has the same rhythm.
Having said that; the album is still very good. The majority of the songs are about alienation and mental illness with a dash of punk honesty thrown in – the chorus in the song Mainstream is a case in point. The singer asks the question “Now did you get it at all?”
My favorite track is number three titled “Nobody Else But You” The song is a definite punk love song alternating between such heartfelt lyrics as “My heart is full of blister and pain” and “I see life is a lesson and I'm doing fine – life is simple when you know your aim – I don't have to reach for fortune or fame, because of you.”
I give this album 3.5 scowls. The album is good, but after the third track the songs all sound a bit the same.