I really like this album. When I think of early ‘90s rock, I usually think of Nirvana and Pearl Jam, but whenever I see reruns of Beavis and Butthead, there are always videos of a bunch of also-ran college and alt rock bands. A lot of these bands definitely were quirky and unique sounding in a way that’s just a little bit different from bands today. The Steaming Beast managed to snag all the good bits about the jangly and poppier sides of the alt rock spectrum (like the Flaming Lips and Urge Overkill), and avoid the crappier aspects (i.e. the pseudo adult contemporary kibble that is the Counting Crowes and Goo Goo Dolls). From what I understand, The Steaming Beast is really more of a concept than an actual band, sorta like Steely Dan, but the record holds together really well and has great lyrics which easily could of fit on records from Scott’s most famous past band, All. This is really great chill music that keeps one’s attention. Also, Scott provides really great liner notes in the CD. There’s also a second CD included with this which is a pretty good label sampler of the Suburban Home roster.
–Adrian (Suburban Home)