GREENSKEEPERS / POLO CLUB

Label : KSR House / OM Records / Cat No. : KCCD-242
Format : Original CD + Bonus Mix CD / Released : 25/10/2006
Style : House, Post-punk

If you pick up a copy of the Greenskeepers’ “Polo Club” and are expecting a serious head driven affair then you obviously haven’t listened to either of their two previous albums. The Chicago outfit’s 2004 album “Pleetch” featured a delightfully witty Silence Of The Lambs tribute in the form of ‘Lotion’ and also a shout out to racial awareness with ‘Filipino Phil’. So with this in mind it wasn’t hard to guess what sort of feel to expect from their third album.

In less than a second of the title track ‘Polo Club’ it is clear that the Greenskeepers are once again going for a tongue in cheek approach to house music, don’t be surprised when the F bomb drops either in this post-punk anthem that has a slight whiff of the Ramones. Nick Maurer’s distinctive yet strangely chameleonic vocal gets an absolute workout during the entire album, unlike on “Pleetch” where occasional guest vocals came from Colette and DJ Heather. His talent is no more obvious than during ’15 Minutes’ where he somehow manages to capture the essence of Morissey even if with slightly less heart.

On tracks like ‘NY Lady’ and ‘Bedtime’ amazingly fat bass guitar get the Greenskeepers boys absolutely funkified. The lyrics on ‘Bedtime’ must’ve been penned by Romeo himself with classic lines like ‘bedtime was made for me and you’. ‘Crimes’ is another bass heavy hit but this time a little more directed towards the dancefloor, after all it is a remix. Something about this track will have ‘Lotion’ running around your head, until later when those patient enough to wait for the final track to completely play out will get a nice little surprise.

While nearly all of “Polo Club” captures a live band feel, ‘Love Lobotomy’ is the major departure from the acoustic world. This little number will have them stomping the dancefloor to pieces but at the same time have sides splitting with even more comedy pearlers like ‘my member was embiggened by this tiny chocolate chip’, a subtle Simpsons’ reference.

An absolute standout of this comical album is a tribute to 80’s pop god Huey Lewis. While not quite the classic of ‘The Power Of Love’ which was immortalized by the Doc and Marty McFly, ‘I Want A New Drug’ is taken on with unexpected expertise from these kings of sleazing up a song. A perfect highlight to an album that mixes studio expertise with liberal doses of potty mouthed humour.

On top of the album itself listeners are treated to a bonus mix CD by Greenskeepers resident DJ, James Curd. Remixes of many tracks from “Polo Club” make an appearance as well as Greenskeepers’ remixes of other artists’ works like the East Coast Boogiemen. The bonus disc acts as a slightly abridged summary of the Greenskeepers’ works as well as a memoir for anyone who has caught James Curd’s DJ sets as he tours in-between live shows with the Greenskeepers. (Nick Lawrence)

Tracklisting
Disc One
01. Polo Club
02. 15 Minutes
03. Indecision
04. NY Lady
05. Bedtime
06. I Want a New Drug
07. A Week Ago
08. Bloodclots
09. Coconuts
10. LDOE / Crimes (Greenskeepers Remix)
11. Alphabet Man
12. Love Lobotomy
13. Martini Lunches
14. Mpc Ghost
15. Lights Of Fire
16. Cowboy
17. The Chair

Disc Two - Mixed by James Curd
01. Greenskeepers feat. J-Dub / Ocean Floor
02. East Coast Boogiemen feat. Dj Heather / Picture Of You
03. Greenskeepers / Good Bye
04. Iz & Diz / Mouth (Greenskeepers Remix)
05. Greenskeepers / New York Lady (Smooth Mix)
06. Greenskeepers / Alphabet Man (Shine On Remix)
07. Greenskeepers / Bedtime (Wierdtime Remix)
08. LDOE / Crimes (Greenskeepers House Remix)
09. Greenskeepers / Man In The House (911 Remix)
10. Greenskeepers / Go (No Aseembly Firm Remix)
11. Greenskeepers / A Week Ago (Disappeared Mix)
12. One Fingered Pocket feat. Princess Superstar / Pussy (Greenskeepers Remix)
13. Tracey Cooper / Are You Hip (James Curd Remix)
14. Project Kids / Family Clones
15. Greenskeepers / Serve 'Um Up
16. Greenskeepers / Prescription
17. Greenskeepers feat. J-Dub / On The Line (Members Only Remix)