CD Reviews
Atom and His Package
Attention Blah Blah Blah
2003 Hopeless Records
http://www.atomandhispackage.com
Philadelphia’s Adam Guren returns with another album of quirky songs. With fast buzzing guitars the music sounds like punk and attracts a similar audience. But the vocals and attitude makes him closer to They Might Be Giants or Weird Al Yankovic.
All the songs are written and performed by Adam, using electric guitars, synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines, which "I unfortunately years ago named my package." It sounds like a cross between punk rock and children’s songs. For songs entitled I'm Downright Amazed At What I Can Destroy With Just a Hammer, and Mustache TV it fits perfectly.
Not all the tracks are light hearted however. Like on previous albums, there is a political side. One past song attacks the owners of sports teams like the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Indians as racist.
This time Adam blasts those that blindly defend terrorist groups in Israel because it's part of the trendy crowd they hang with. The sharp lyrics mock those that recite hip anti-American catch phrases.
"You're so Leftist/You're so pro-peace/you're hate the death penalty/But love it in the Middle East."
In the liner notes he says that surely there are some people who blindly defend the Israeli side as well, "but these are not the people who I come into contact with at shows... It’s disturbing how they trivialize things to Star Wars-esque proportions."
This is not the first time the one-man-band has referred to Jewish issues. On his 1999 album, he mocks "those right-wing crazy people" on What We Do On Christmas. He sarcastically claims that Christmas would be the perfect time "to have a whole day of planning of world domination."
"You think we’re sitting polishing our horns/Or making soup with the blood of Christian born/You think I’m being rude/We’re at a movies eating Chinese food."
The angry, sarcastic lyrics contrast with the sing-songy music. The song ends with a disclaimer in which Adam states, "I’m very neurotic that people are going to get mad at me."
As satirical as his political songs are, the fan favorites seems to be the silly ones. A March concert in Cleveland Heights was packed with fans singing along. Atom and His Package may not get mainstream airplay, but his concerts and CDs are making him well known.
The Palestinians Are Not the Same as the Rebel Alliance, Asshole
by Atom and His Package
2003 Hopeless Records
http://www.atomandhispackage.com
written by Adam Guren
You're so Leftist
You're so pro-peace
You hate the death penalty
But love it in the Middle East
Don't know the facts
Just catch phrase words
No different than the Nazi boneheads
The other side just got to you first
Critical thinking
No thanks not at all
Admit it you just like posters
Of men with machine guns up on your wall
Makes you feel good
Makes you feel right
Simplified complexity
It's easy to cheer when it's black and white
I'm impressed that you're a bad-ass
I'm impressed with your defiance (Hello, I am sarcastic)
You do know the Palestinians are not the same thing
As the Rebel Alliance
Say stupid things like
"The United States is the only terrorist nation"
Ha ha nice education
Add inane hip arguments
When it comes your turn
All the while weakening and invalidating
Legit concerns
Supposed to be critical
Supposed to be cynical
Blind loyalty
Dumb jocky political
What We Do on Christmas
by Atom and His Package
1999 No Idea Records
http://www.atomandhispackage.com
written by Adam Guren
You know those right wing crazy people talk about how there’s a Jewish conspiracy and how the Jews run the media and they have all the money and they pretty much dominate the world. No? Well, I’ve heard of it, and you know, well that would pretty much leave one day of the year when no one else is around to have a whole day of planning of world domination. That’s Christmas. Merry Christmas buddies.
It’s Christmas Eve and you know why I’m hardly sleeping
There are no presents waiting for me on the floor
It’s the one day of the year when I use what my super Jewish powers are for
Introduced to the network at my bar mitzvah
Got my code ring number its 16761
While your sitting around the tree in that knock off menorah
Your idol, we want justice is done
Princess Di
We killed her
El Nino we made it
Reggie White is stupid
Billy Joel lets trade him
Let the neo-Nazis know that we’re part of the conspiracy
If we’re as strong as they think you’d think they’d be nicer to me
You’re still mad about what happened to your pal Jesus
Well if he didn’t die for your sins you’d be going to hell with the rest of us
Wouldn’t you like to know
What we do
What we do
What we do
On Christmas
You think we’re sitting polishing our horns
Or making soup with the blood of Christian born
You think I’m being rude
We’re at a movie eating Chinese food
This is the disclaimer. My name is Adam. I’m a Jewish boy. I’m very neurotic that people are going to get mad at me. I like Jews. I like Christian people. There should be no problem. It’s not that funny.