Bobby Conn
Llovessonngs EP
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Bobby Conn
Llovessonngs EP
Thrill Jockey, 1999
RiYL: Swampmouth, Thymme Jones |
I haven't delved that far into the Bobby Conn legend, and I don't desire to. All I know is that he's a short guy from Chicago with no apparent musical talent and a lot of influential friends. Llovessonngs, thankfully, only has four songs, more than enough to reveal that Conn can't sing, can't write lyrics, and has a friend who's a really good bass player.
Llovessonngs' originals, "Free Love" and "Virginia," are its worst tracks. The first is entirely unlistenable, smug indie self-indulgence, all bad funk basslines and Conn's stupid howl. Is Conn this year's Wesley Willis, or is he aware that all of the real musicians laugh at him as soon as he leaves the studio? Do we really want to know? "Virginia" features four minutes of awful babbling in French followed by about forty-five worthy seconds of instrumental mucking about.
"Without You," with its atmospheric toy piano plunk background, plays up Conn's vocal similarities to Roger Waters circa The Wall. Although Conn is not deliberately impersonating a madman, his atonal howls here sure will convince you. Closer "Maria B" bears the dubious distinction of being the EP's best track. Bobby Conn gets closer to singing in key while in falsetto mode and the string arrangements are actually rather nice. Still, Llovessonngs is a pretty pointless reminder of the fact that just because someone is your friend, you shouldn't necessarily let them release records on your label.
MARK T.R. DONOHUE | Mark T.R. Donohue is a prolific freelance writer whose areas of expertise include Rockies baseball, video games, genre television, English soccer, and pub rock. He lives in Colorado, where he cultivates the largest and creepiest private collection of Alyson Hannigan memorabilia in the Mountain West.