Cunning Stunts

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Cunning Stunts album cover
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EDITOR'S PICK

Total Tracks: 12   Total Length: 38:57

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Joe Gross

eMusic Contributor

Joe Gross hails from Falls Church, VA, one of the Chocolate City's most vanilla suburbs. He has written for Spin, Rolling Stone, the Village Voice, the Washingt...more »

04.22.11
The ultimate album from the ultimate AmRep band.
2000 | Label: Amphetamine Reptile / The Orchard

Save for Halo of Flies, Minneapolis maniacs the Cows were the ultimate AmRep band: incomprehensibly distorted guitar, frenzied, often messy rhythms and an utter lunatic on vocals. Mustachioed singer/trumpet abuser Shannon Selberg was notorious for scaring the living shit out of fans in clubs throughout the nation, but it took some time for their albums to catch up with their punishing live show. Cunning Stunts is their most focused collection, the moment where the chaos consistently coalesces into almost recognizable songforms. Guitarist Thor Eisenstrager is the hero here; lesser bands have built entire albums out of his tossed off, creepy explosions.

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My 1st Cows Lp....

craigbfralick

I bought this back in the day, then started a lifelong love affair. Use your credits!!!

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"The bovine gaze of gaping rustics."

dbently

It's a cream filled embryo being hurled at your face, kid. "I'm walking here!" I know that's the message. -JLazy (The Johnny Lazybones)

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Cows rock !

SFropeEm

My favorite cut off this is "Ort" - crank it waaaaaay up !

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if you like cheese you most like cows

GuyAlso

or maybe you like goats well i say screw you goat lovers

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who cares if its punk?

jabesmcgee

Its quality music. The feel of the album brings Shudder to Think to mind and as far as rock goes, its unfettered by convention. Download if you dig the sample tracks. This is one of my favourite albums, no doubt.

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wild stuff....

vudusmith

this stuff is great it almost sounds like someone took the Misfits and Aerosmith at their most drugged out and threw them in a blender...

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real manic sleaze punk

Daviso

There are no faux mo-hawks in this band, I once described a live cows show to a friend as a bunch of speedy punk-dirtbags with an ironic jazz twist. I remember a story when shane was squating somewhere and he fell through the floor and showed up at a show with two casts! One time i saw them he came out with this cheetah head hair-do at cbs covered in shaving cream and got dressed. Freakin hilarious. Don't puss out: this is more agressive than 9lb hammer and more fuct'd than the melvins. This is rocknroll from start to finish. Thanks, reviewstalker.blogspot.com

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Not Punk Rock?

KopiLuwak

I don't know what that first reviewer is on, but the Cows are most definitely punk--quintessential punk in my book. I can see why punkers like this--really catchy stuff, scratchy guitars, speedy tempo. They also mix it up with a harmonica in "Mr. Cancelled" and a horn in "Heave Ho". Most, like my girlfriend, will find the Cows annoying. The best tracks are "Heave Ho", "Mr. Cancelled", the hilarious "Mine", and "Down Below". I do find "Contamination" a bit grating.

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THIS IS PUNK ROCK

pim9

This album is as punk as it gets. Ignore the bad review for it being too noisy to be punk(go figure?!?!?!) I always meant to get this album - I only regret I left it so long.....

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Cows Rawk

sugarfootsjones

A review that patently says the Cows suck is obviously written by someone that should stick to Green Day and Rancid when they want to feel rebellious. Cows' lyrics are humorous and poingnant(sp?). Their musical skill has gotten more honed over the years, but never polished. Their wall of noise forces one to sit up and listen to their catchy melodys.

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They Say All Music Guide

The release of Cunning Stunts signals a “maturity” to the Cows, but it really means that riffs and hooks are starting to emerge from their usual tar pit of sound. Although Shannon Selberg’s ranting and raving dominate the proceedings, it’s guitarist Thor Eisenstrager who steals the show with his frenetic playing and bold experimentation. Not the pure noise of their earlier work, but certainly not an attempt at mainstream respectability, either. The Cows are simply too frenzied and defiantly idiosyncratic for that to happen. – John Dougan