HAMBURGLERS
Happy Meal EP
Record label: No Type
Format: MP3
Release date: April 2002

I haven't had this much fun thumbing my nose at a corporate logo since Negativland's Dispepsi, but you gotta go some to beat that album, so I won't make comparisons. The Happy Meal EP works itself around an old (and long since forgotten) McDonald's ad campaign. In true plunderphonic fashion, Hamburglers even managed to swipe some insider marketing tapes encouraging employees and consumers alike. From there, it's a bit of a free-for-all, an experiment in how many ways the golden arches can be put on the editing block. With a razor blade about two inches from Ronald McDonald's head, Grimace can be heard with the rest of the McDonald's Land bunch singing the praises of one of the scariest clowns on earth (or most annoying, depending on who you talk to). I particularly enjoy the sample of the rhythm & blues version used in the ad campaign, full of overdone chicken scratch guitar and fat, popping beefy sounds. These guys are clearly in it for fun and manage to drag G.I. Joe and NWA into the mix and make it relevant to their cause. But at 11 tracks clocking in around 40 minutes, is it really an EP? More like a mini-album. Some pieces work well, some just beat a dead horse. Recommended cuts include "So Now You Know, So Thank You," "Straight Jackin' (My Spot)," "A McFriendly Smile," and that Rivers of Disco mix at the end. Doesn't really fit with what came before it, but works nicely as a separate track (filtered disco house, for those of you who like that sort of thing). Be sure to play these selections for your hardcore vegan friends - methinks they'll get a McKick out of them.

{steve crognale}
  • click here for MP3 downloads.
  • visit the No Type label Web site.


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