Goon Moon -- Licker's Last Leg

Goon Moon is the Hard Rock/Goth Pop freaknik brainchild of Masters Of Reality main man Chris Goss and Jeordie White (aka Twiggy Ramirez) from Marilyn Manson. Their debut sets sail with a listing ship/bad trip nursery rhyme ("Apple Pie"), then immediately plunges haphazardly headstrong into the blazing "My Machine," a speedy rocker that leaps and spins and splatters like a glowing slab of kryptonite skipping across a lake of fire. And that's just Exhibit A of GM's brilliant grasp of "anything goes" throughout this hallucinogenic joyride, continually offering devious sonic challenges. Tempos, melodies and entire song fragments unexpectedly break loose and fall away under your feet like a trap door. These unorthodox song structures are sinfully catchy thanks to a combination of surprisingly sweet vocal harmonies, nasty guitar tones (both heavy and tweaky) and a truly twisted sense of humor. Goss' trademark rapid-fire riffage pushes and pulls against the beat, creating dizzying, dazzling cross-rhythms with the livewire drumming of the amazing Josh Freese. Though fabulously fluid and fickle, Licker's Last Leg tentatively moves towards the inevitable embrace of Pop hooks, culminating with the arcane anthem "Pin Eyed Boy" and a trippy re-working of The Bee Gees' "Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You." Freaky fun. (Ric Hickey) Grade: B+