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Squirrel Nut Zippers
Perennial Favorites
(Mammoth)
The sad thing about being a musical innovator is that, invariably, legions of copy-cat bands spring up in your wake. Such is the dilemma that Squirrel Nut Zippers now faces. When their mix of Big Band, swing, and Dixieland earned mainstream acceptance via the single "Hell," a whole wave of zoot-suit wearing morons quickly surfaced. Suddenly, every unimaginative pud in America was buying a stand-up bass and a Gene Krupa album. BUT…if you can stomach the parasitic trendiness that attaches itself to innocent bystanders like SNZ, then you can enjoy Perennial Favorites, the band's new record. Favorites is loaded with Bourbon Street style vignettes and Calypso, Klezmer, and Bluegrass concoctions that, once upon a time, only dead people and your grandpa could enjoy. So dismiss this septet as faddish and trendy if you will, but nostalgia hasn't been this much fun since David Lee Roth sang "Big Bad Bill is Sweet William Now."
Mike Cade
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