Artist: Fastball
Album:Keep Your Wig On
Label: Rykodisc Records
Rating:
Reviewer: DJ Booker

I was real excited that these guys finally put another album out due to the fact they haven’t released anything since 2000. I have no idea why these three band mates from Austin, Texas waited so long to release another album, but I was happy they at least didn‘t break up or do something worse than that, like turn country. I was a big fan of their All The Pain Money Can Buy album that they released back in 1998, and I had high expectations for this new album. It didn’t disappoint me much either, except maybe for the fact that it’s only around 40 minutes long.

I was happy to find that Fastball didn’t lose a lot of their older sound. The only major changes I could really see from their ’98 album was that they seemed to have gotten slightly lighter/merrier sounding overall. “Keep Your Wig On” begins with a minute long intro song that sets a dreary atmosphere. This is sharply contrasted by the next song, the rockin’ and cheery “Lou-ee, Lou-ee”, which is one of my favorites on the CD. “Drifting Away” follows that up and seems to calm the listener down with its merry melody and get them ready for the darker “Airstream.” “Airstream” seems to lean more toward the old-school Fastball melancholy feel, setting up a perfect transition to the next song, “I Get High.” I consider “I Get High” to be the best track on the CD. It’s a bluesy song that can be compared to “Which Way To The Top” off of their ‘98 release. It has the same aura of glum, downcast optimism.

The rest of the CD is a quality mix of Fastball originals. “Someday” is a kind of grungy sounding song that is somehow gleeful and gloomy sounding at the same time. Fastball always had a knack for making these “happy sad songs.” “Falling Upstairs” is a dreamy, surreal type of song, showing the versatility of these guys when it comes to variety of songs.

In my opinion “Keep Your Wig On” isn’t as good overall as All the Pain Money Can Buy but it still is a must buy for any fans of Fastball. After listening to it I had the urge to go buy their 2000 release, since I somehow missed that one. Then after listening to it a few more times, I realized how much the songs started to grow on me, giving the album excellent replay value. I congratulate Fastball for their integrity in staying true to their sound. It’s good to know that there are still bands out there who can stay unaffected by mainstream’s influence. I give this album a 4.7 out of 5.