Freak Accident, The

***The fifth album by The Freak Accident, The Midnight Show, expands the known universe of what the SF band is capable of. The heavy parts are heavier, the punk parts are punkier, the noise is noisier and the improv parts are improvier; while somehow simultaneously creating the catchiest Freak Accident album to date. Ralph Spight (Victims Family, Guantanamo School of Medicine - vocals/ guitar), Henry Austin Lannan (bass/ vocals), and Stark Raving Brad (drums/ vocals) have coalesced into a band that can & does go in whatever direction they please. The album kicks off with the tongue-in-cheek indie rock of "Don't Blame Me"—"sort of the point at which the lineup of The Freak Accident became a band, slogging through all the humiliations that only people who are music lifers can relate to", as Spight explains.

This sets the stage for a wild ride: the synth-tinged melodic punk of "Fairytales", some dark garage-surf on "Busted Time Machine", some extended undersea sonic adventuring on "Gill Transplant", the pop-song-turned-noise-jam of "I'll Be Your Toilet" & the dissonant swing of "Down in The Dumps." "Fairytales" itself, as Spight notes, "is an exploration of the Hallmark-card images of Christianity... Musically, I just wanted it to be a straight ahead rocker with extra synth noises. And to take it over the top, why not add a drum solo? A drum solo, who does that?"

The Freak Accident had an inside joke about having to play last at every show, which formed the basis of the lyrics for the title track. It became a concept album of sorts; twisting through a dystopian, Sci-Fi B-movie filter where religion, death, authoritarianism, codependency, depression, entitlement, and internet trolls are all intelligently parsed and skewered with biting lyricism and a healthy heaping of humor.

The Midnight Show is an album that will reveal new hidden gems with each listen. Strap in! This just may be your new favorite. Eye popping cover design by poster art legend ZOLTRON. This could be your new favorite album. Just sayin’.