Search - From Bubblegum To Sky :: Nothing Sadder Than Lonely Queen

Nipping at your heels

L. Brandt | seattle, wa | 12/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From Bubblegum to Sky's sophomore effort feels like a secret message to those of us with a splinter in our paws. The lyrics feel both triumphant and bitter. Like punching your 7th grade bully in the eye, and having your best friends cheer you on. Stylistically, this record ranges from the T-Rex style "Vampire" to the dancey "Sign the Air" to the Factory Records feels of "Scorpio". Somehow, though, the styles don't compete with, but enhance each other. Mario Hernandez is clearly a man with many influences, and his songs keep getting better and better. My favorite track is, without question, "Bombing at the Midnight Showing". I don't even know how to describe that song, other than to say that I usually rewind it five or six times, and am moved to lip sync in the mirror with a hairbrush. I dare you to feel otherwise."

Bitter Bubblegum

Josh Doblinger | 12/15/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When it comes to music, bubblegum often leaves a bad taste in the mouth of listeners. Thinking back to the poppy, cheery bubblegum acts of the 50s and early 60s is enough to give any rock fan a bit of a toothache. Rock is about destruction. Rock is about heart ache. Rock is about dirty obsession. Rock is about creepy love. Rock isn't about malt shakes with two straws and a cherry.



With that said, From Bubblegum To Sky's "Nothing Sadder Than Lonely Queen" is more rock than bubblegum, despite the blatant cry of it's moniker. The sophomore effort from Mario Hernandez, who gave us the lovely "Me and Amy and the Two French Boys" about five years ago, is full of bells and whistles and cooing and sunshine-stuffed melodies and most importantly a dark underside that keeps "Nothing Sadder" from delving in the depths of cavity enducing soundtracks. An obvious knock on Hernandez is his girlish voice, but that never stopped Billy Corgan from recording some great tunes. If you can get past his voice, you will learn to embrace it; the high pitched tone bares the soul of the lyrics, which are often painful to weakened heart strings. "Catherine Was My June" will have your feet a-tapping and head a-bopping, all the while putting a relationship gone awry on display for the listening and peeping toms to gawk at. Perhaps the best song is the one that fails to fit within the rest of the album's vibe. "Vampire" is essentially T-Rex's "Jeepster", but rock has been lacking that straining guitar since Marc Bolan went really weird on us. We all love "vampire girls", so decadent that they suck our life force...creating adrenaline filled brief fits of passion before finally leaving us empty and drained. The brief span of the relationship is worth the much longer destruction it leaves.



Sometime the bells and whistles can get too overbearing (see: the feedback filled "Some Kind of Fantastic"), but for the most part From Bubblegum To Sky shuns its namesake and revels in it's bitterness."

Check it out!!

Raymond Kim | Los Angeles, California United States | 09/08/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"From Bubblegum to Sky is a happy album to listen to... at first.



Then you delve into the lyrics and you realize the songs aren't so happy after all.



That's not a bad thing, of course! Tracks are upbeat, and the album as a whole is fun and quite solid. Their song "Operation Big Beat" has been spotted in an SBC commercial that was going around in the Athens Olympics - It's been stuck in my head the past few days!!



Give it a try, should be an excellent addition to your indie rock collection."