An Ananas
Do You Hear What I Hear In The Scream?
Springs & Plates

An Ananas consists of three members from The Jessica Fletchers, namely Rune Somdal (guitars and vocals), Jan Henning Sørensen (drums) and Andreas Münster Mastrup (bass and vocals). Andreas also serves as Astroburger's current bass player. We first heard of the Ananas in connection with Perfect Pop's 20th anniversary live celebration and accompanying compilation album Tweest And Shout. Here their offering "Beware Of Emos" was described by yours truely as something like Lou Reed fronting The Residents. Unfortunately there's nothing as weird as that on the debut album. Instead it consist of 11 competent, but pretty ordinary rock based songs, an instrumental and a - believe it if you can - drum solo! (I thought we got rid of that kind of stupid whims for good about 35 years ago...)

Of course, the album has its moments, like the cool bass sound and playing of "Smells Like An Ananas", the clever guitar and bass interplay of "Blow" where they reveal some melodic pop sensibility in between, as well, and the almost soft melodic "Bound To Be Trouble" tucked within a much tougher, groovy, almost classic, heavy rock beginning and end. Maybe it's just me being old and grumpy, that expected something different and finding more pleasure in hilarious whims or cunning pop than more or less standard guitar rock. Or maybe it's that drum solo "Klubbe vs Stikke" (Club versus Stick, you know) that puts me off. Sorry boys, I'll play that short, sweet and melancholic ukulele (?) vs. keyboard instrumental "Softscull Serenade" at the end of side B of the LP a couple more times and then listen to one of the great Jessica Fletchers pop albums instead.

Copyright © 2013 JP