Big Fun
"Passing The Time" b/w "Hold On" 7"
(Put-On Records)

(REVIEW BY LORD RUTLEDGE)


The band name Big Fun is possibly a Miles Davis reference but more likely a Heathers reference. In either case, it may be the greatest band name since "Dead Boys". I mean, who wouldn't want to buy a record by a band named Big Fun? If you've had a shit week and you're flat broke and your boss is a douche and your rent is late and your dog just died and your car's in the shop and you got beat up by a midget and your girlfriend just told you she's leaving you for a teenage fry cook who's way better in bed than you ever could have dreamed of being, are you gonna wanna go out and see some band called Tears Flow in June or Grinding Corpses? No, you're gonna wanna check out Big Fun! Think of the promise in that name, the suggestion of the good times to be had and the fine music to be heard! Who could possibly pass that up? Big Fun! Alright! And I'm happy to report that said name is not wasted on a group unworthy of the moniker.

Three-quarters of New York City's Big Fun used to be in The Weekenders, who in their brief career produced one so-so 7" on Babykiller plus the Rapid Pulse comp cut "Lost Weekend", which was better than lemonade in July. If you ever wondered what happened to Erin, Jessica, and Diana, well apparently they were going through bass players the way Spinal Tap went through drummers. But then they found Caitlin, and that was the end of that and the start of Big Fun. Given my great fondness for bands that blur the lines between powerpop, catchy '70s punk, and '60s girl groups, this band has been on my radar for a while. Its debut record is absolutely as good as expected. The sound is tougher and rawer than that of a lot of similar bands', and that comes from the playing and the production. Real punchy guitars and a minimalist lo-fi recording fit this band just right. The vocals are bright and honeyed but in no way cutesy. And the songs are hot. Both Sides A and B are winners. I like the way you don't realize how catchy "Passing The Time" is until it's three hours later and you're whistling the melody in the bathroom at work. "Hold On" is a more immediate rocker in the Nikki and the Corvettes mold. As all singles should, this 45 leaves you wanting more. And with a debut LP set to drop this summer (could there be a more ideal summer band?), more Big Fun is exactly what you shall get.

Lord Rutledge
May 5, 2007