Avocado
RPG, 2020
9/10
The Brooklyn kindie-rock outfit Rolie Polie Guacamole return with their 7th album, and much like their entire catalog they offer kid focused and parent friendly tunes with a mix of originals and covers that are instantly enjoyable and dripping with charm that often points toward the sounds of the ‘90s.
The title track starts the listen with warm acoustic strumming, as the sole lyric, the word avocado, is repeated with plenty of emotion and melody in its ‘60s influences, and “Ay Batta Batta”, a song about baseball, follows with a jackhammering approach of furious drumming before moving into rhythmic and synth friendly setting of prog-rock sensibilities.
An extremely fun listen, deeper tracks like “Dancing On The Sun” bring soulful textures, along with storytelling that shifts the pace into ultra quick folk-rock, while “A Very Quiet Song” is indeed softer, where harp sounds flow amid whispered singing. “Pizza Pie”, one of the album’s best, then pairs a bouncy spirit with participation from kids on a tune that’s as universally enjoyable as pizza itself.
Close to the end, the elegant folk qualities of “Sammi The Cat”, that’s entirely spoken word, except for the singing of ‘meow’ during many points of the song, is purrfect for the feline lovers, and the last full tune is their frisky interpretation of “Jingle Bells”, which might be the most playful version to date.
Frank Gallo and Andrew Tuzhilin, the founders of the band, along with their esteemed players, bring folk, rock, rap and even funk into this varied and often upbeat career high where the legendary producer Steve Albini even lends a hand. Rolie Polie Guacamole have won a handful of awards in the area of kindie-rock, and Avocado is likely to grab a few more with its timeless approach and immediately enjoyable song craft.
Travels well with: Moozikia!- Moove To The Moozika! The Green Orbs- Thumb Wrestling Champions