If It's Too Loud...

The 2nd album in a comeback/reunion isn't supposed to be good. Pretty Music For Pretty People is great. Maybe it's because the Dead Milkmen were never hard particularly hardcore band, but they haven't lost a step. While many of their peers have been releasing music about half as aggressive as their classics (or even novelty Christmas albums), this is their hardest album to date. It might be that some of their favorite topics (celebrity, gun control, and even Ronald Reagan) are just as relevant as they were back in the 80s. "Ronald Reagan Killed the Black Dahlia" may be my favorite punk rock conspiracy theory of all time. "The Great Boston Molasses Flood" ties my favorite obscure historical event with the Dresden Dolls. If you still break out any of the Dead Milkmen's back catalog, you'll want to own this one, too.

At the risk of this site turning into an unofficial Dead Milkmen fan page, here is yet another new video for the already classic new Dead Milkmen song "Ronald Reagan Killed the Black Dahlia." It's the best 1 minute 30 seconds you'll spend all day. It's a cut and paste stop motion animated video that features Joseph McCarthy's favorite evil attorney Roy Cohn asking Ronald Reagan for help, and also Reagan killing The Black Dahlia for turning down his sexual advances. It's crazy that Reagan can still be culturally relevant 30 years later, but that's kind of the world we all live in now. If you haven't yet, head on over to The Dead Milkmen's website and get their new album, Pretty Music for Pretty People , which I'm sure I'll write about again before the end of the year.

The Dead Milkmen have released a new video for their song "The Sun Turns Our Patio Into a Lifeless Hell." The song is inspired by an infomercial Rodney Anonymous saw depicting how awful your life can be without a patio awning. The video was inspired by old silent German expressionist films and features all the creepy baby doll heads you could possibly want. It's all the perfect blend of humor, trippy abstraction, punk, and humor that categorizes the best of The Dead Milkmen.  You can watch the video below. If you happen to be in either Baltimore, MD or Lancaster, PA, you can see them next weekend at Metro Gallery or Chameleon Club respectively. And in case you haven't, go to their website  for more info and order their album on Amazon (the cd format is currently on sale for $9.00!).

We're now two albums into the resurgence of The Dead Milkmen, and the band still hasn't slowed down. Most punk bands from the 80s and 90s started watering down their sound, becoming more and more mellow and generic. Happily, The Dead Milkmen still sound like The Dead Milkmen. It's almost like they didn't go away, they were just paused for a decade or so before coming back. Somehow they still seem just as angry as ever. It could be because so many of the same issues they sang about 25 years ago are still relevant. A song like "Right Wing Pigeons" from 1985's Big Lizard in My Backyard  still has some of the same themes as "Welcome to Undertown," 29 years later. They even still get to take shots at Ronald Reagan in "Ronald Reagan Killed the Black Dahlia." It's not all politics that The Dead Milkmen rage against on their new album. "Pretty Music For Pretty People" criticizes today's pop (and rock) stars who don't...

With tomorrow's release of the new Dead Milkmen album, Pretty Music For Pretty People , I wanted to explore their catalog a bit. Now, everyone knows "Punk Rock Girl," even those that have no idea who The Dead Milkmen are, which is why it's off this list. I'm in no way saying these are their best songs, but these are my personal favorite songs. I wanted to include some of their more obscure offerings, including their attempts at major label stardom. Of course, since Metaphysical Graffiti isn't on Spotify, this can't be a complete list. Hopefully this helps prepare you for tomorrow's fantastic new release!

The Dead Milkmen have released a 2nd song of their forthcoming (and fantastic) album Pretty Music For Pretty People. "Make It Witchy" is a synth-heavy punk song that leans very heavily on Rodney Anonymous' trademark snarl. It sounds like a lost song from the Bucky Fellini  sessions. You can listen to it below, and while you're at it you can preorder Pretty Music For Pretty People  at Amazon , and check out the Dead Milkmen's official website .

Next month there's a new album from the Dead Milkmen coming out, and they just released the first song from it, the title track "Pretty Music For Pretty People." It's a typical rambling happy sounding upbeat punk song with angry, evil lyrics. In other words, it's the best type of Dead Milkmen song. It's a diatribe against the fluffy, meaningless popular music that means absolutely nothing that wins awards. The type of music that is more about how pretty the musician is than anything meaningful, and is meant to be enjoyed for being... well, pretty. It's more bitter and angry than almost anything so-called punks in their 20s have come out with for years. Pretty Music For Pretty People is due to come out on 10/7. You can pre-order it now on Amazon . You can also check out their website for more info and tour dates. I'm sure we'll be all over any Dead Milkmen news as soon as it becomes available.