Stu Discious

At first, it appears the kind of local album we see all too often. Take, for instance, the terrible-looking presentation. The CD cover is laughable and silly: Stu's sitting on his bed, strumming, and sporting a lipstick kiss on his right cheek. A random cartoon of Lennon, Little Richard and Einstein speaking from a cloud rests in one corner. What the hell is going on here? Embarrassingly bad local music, no doubt—the kind you procrastinate putting into your player, as it's surely the product of a sub-par talent, and an unhinged one at that.

But then you listen. And Stu Discious, as ludicrous as his packaging is, has actually done one mighty fine job of creating a fairly unique retro sound. Produced by the ubiquitous local music fixture Salim Nourallah, Stu pours it on with ease. Whiffs of psychedelic surf-punk and just the right amount of don't-take-life-so-seriously attitude permeate his songs and make you yearn to see his concept of a music video. Boasting early-R.E.M. pacing and Byrds-meets-Dick Dale guitar sounds, the originality of this surprisingly entertaining music trumps even the cheap-o mix job.

If nothing else, it's a lesson in first impressions.