After the dust settled and I’d been sufficiently molested by four monikered bandits by the names of Chunx, Funx, Hunx, and Junx, my mind was a mélange of confusing thoughts and emotions. Almost all at once, I tried to process the scenarios I’d just been exposed to, like being asked eight times in a row, “wutcha wutcha wutcha wutcha wutcha doin tonite?” (I don’t know Chunx; I’m just eating an orange right now), or trying to analyze the sound made by Junx’s piss at the end of “Just Listen.” What blew my mind the most was that, once the dust settled and the shock-and-awe campaign was over, I found myself itching to hear it all again.
Believe it not, it’s really the subtleties that make Gravy Train!!!!’s third LP, All The Sweet Stuff, a worthwhile album. Sure, you’re going to remember some of the laugh-out-loud lyrics (“I don’t think we’ll need any sensual aids like porn of your dad’s Viagra/ I know that I may seem so blasé, but when I’m hot, they call me Niagra”), but there’s enough here to satisfy almost anyone with a sense of humor. Slick production and much more fluid beats erase the headache of 2003’s Hello Doctor, most notably “Strip 4 Me,” a funky gem produced by disco tourmates Sugar and Gold.
In other words, this is not the complete lunacy you heard a few years ago, although there’s still a healthy dose in the mix. There are of course times when it becomes painfully brainless, especially in the chorus of “Wutcha Wutcha Wutcha Wutcha Wutcha Doin Tonite,” my vote for the most annoying song of the year. All in all, All The Sweet Stuff is a solid album that doesn’t try to be something it’s not and one certainly worth bumpin’ some ass to.
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