Snap, snap! The fingers sound the applause in smoky, dank coffeehouses when Obliterati takes the stage to single-handedly revive the cold, cold corpse of the beatnik experience. The band is made up of mostly longtime Orlando scenesters and hepcats who live, breathe and bathe in the same smoke-filled inspiration from which sprang Lenny Bruce, "Howl" and hipster lingo.
This CD corrals a range of postmodern beatnik noodlings, sing-song lyrics and arty poses, while avoiding the boorish pretension that usually frames such sonic experimentation. While "Heavy Baubaus Inflience" can't be called "driving tunes" or "easy to dance to," these compositions are liberatingly bent, amusingly angular and accessibly awkward.
