The Ziggens

AMG Review of The Ziggens

Richie Unterberger
All Music Guide

The Ziggens' fifth album is a cheery, cheeky album of power pop mixed with various echoes of vintage 20th century ock styles like surf, cowpunk, and doo wop. If there's much to distinguish them from numerous other bands who travel some of the same territory, it's the frequent avowedly humorous, sometimes goofball lyrics. There's an "everyday guy" feel about some of these stories and observations, and you don't hear every such band talking about employee abuse, plastic surgery, Jesus' 40 days in the desert, and "The Man With the Pushed in Face" (which has a lick that borrows too liberally from "Rock Lobster"). While the lack of pretension is admirable, the lyrics aren't so witty as to invite much thought, examination, or belly laughs. They do get serious sometimes as well, as on the tender country-pop allad "That Kinda Man," which is only OK, but is more affecting than their satirical whimsy.