Review: Cherubs – Short of Popular

You hear that? The sounds like angels taking LSD and operating a demolition site? Sounds like Heaven to me. It also sounds like the new remaster of the 1996 compilation by Cherubs called Short of Popular. The band from Austin, Texas, that never quite made it have remastered their collection of singles, b-sides, and rejected songs for the first time on vinyl to be released in October. Equal parts timing and luck, Cherubs were shamefully neglected by their scene in the 90’s. In a time of cutsie pop hooks and with the looming boy-band typhoon on the horizon, Cherubs sort of faded into record store obscurity. If you knew Cherubs, you were damn glad to know Cherubs. I was too young in ’96 to find em on my own. Raised in a religious household, I wasn’t privy to most popular music of the time, much less the obscurities.

Cherubs are crazy aggressive; aggressive in the best possible way. With each track picking up where the other left off, Short of Popular is a seamless collection of their work. Some bands can get stuck in the problem where there are too many similarities in their songs. Every band has a “type”. Cherubs definitely have a type, but they rip it off before it gets stale. Foregoing the traditions of verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/verse/chorus/end, every song on Short of Popular is mania.

Trying to visualize a live Cherubs show is like trying to imagine an avalanche. Watching one on TV is very different from being in the middle of the fucker. I’ll bet they were a blast. This will be the first vinyl release for the Cherubs compilation and I’m pretty damn excited. I may have missed the initial ride, but I’ll try to catch up. I suggest you do the same.