We've got the champagne on ice for the day the word "hipster" finally kicks the bucket. Until that day comes, though, there's no shortage of people willing to go down with the ship, criticizing indie rock fans who refuse to abide by some passé codification of the black t-shirt wearing Lou Barlow disciple that avoids fun and hip-hop with equal tenacity. These people probably already have their minds made up about Truckasauras. They might even be preparing to misuse the term "ironic" to slag off the Seattle collective. And why not: The band presumably takes its name from a "Simpsons" episode so old that most us have forgotten it. The album's title and cover evokes fellow "are they seriously serious with this kid stuff?" act The Go! Team. The video for "Fak!!!" is doctored to look like the Ultimate Warrior is fellating Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania. And to top it off, there's a track on Tea Parties, Guns & Valor named after the famed NES Konami code-- something that'd already been done to death by the time even the Deftones finally got around to it two years ago.
Truckasauras' biggest obstacle, though, is their choice of instrumentation-- Commodore 64s, decades-old software, and various 8-bit components. The trend is reaching its tipping point: Over the past few years especially, countless bands, producers, and remixers have mined these archaic electronics for laughs, gimmickry, or to amp up the kind of electro tracks that have recently run rampant on mp3 blogs. What's different about Truckasauras is that they take their cues from artists like M83 and Boards of Canada, constructing fuzzy-warm nostalgia from previously disposable parts. And while they don't quite reach the stratospheric heights of, say, Music Has the Right to Children, their task is arguably tougher. Surprisingly accessible and mellow without reverting to wan psychedelics, this record's closest sonic embodiment might actually be WALL-E. It's as cartoonish or resonant as you want it to be, often relying on little more than suggestive beeps and primitive futurism to convey a core of positivity with just enough implied melancholy to chase it down.
There's only one heel-clicking blissout, and even that retains a strong sense of momentum. Recalling the playful electro-pop of Super Furry Animals' Guerrilla, "Angels Sound Like Bottle Rockets" rides a nasal bassline while panflute-ish synths contribute interlocking counterpoints in a moment that embodies the album's M.O.-- it's deceptive headphones music with compositional depth that's evident once you realize that those Nintendo engineers weren't just fucking around. It's a groove they could ride out longer, but at the moment where it feels like the track could burst, Truckasauras drop the top and reveals quasars of chimes amidst clap-happy drum machines.
On the other side of the spectrum, "Ain't No Danbo (When He's Gone)" rattles along to an 808 pattern reminiscent of Organized Noize's strip-club bangers while a pedal steel-like effect does a lonesome whine underneath. Like anything else here, it's completely open to suggestion-- not quite instrumental hip-hop, yet too melodically focused to be considered straight-up techno. Closer "Porkwich" has an evocative melodic turn that betrays its in-jokey title, almost passing for degranulated Fennesz. And "Fak!!!" (also, questionable title aside), could easily plateau on its blocky, nearly Arabic chord change, but its hook happens when the track splinters into wildly panned darts of treble.
As Philip Sherburne wrote about "Super Copter", an astounding cover of the Airwolf theme, Truckasauras make the kind of electronic music best suited for basement parties, but as as a result, Tea Parties flows more like a mixtape than a suite. The collection's few flaws lie in its sequencing-- as the album's lone vocal track, "Hold On" is jarringly dropped between "Angels" and "Danbo". And while there's plenty of killer moments in the remix addendum, at seven tracks deep, it nearly doubles the length of the LP. In the end, though, the idea of this record as a mixtape actually strengthens it-- too often, "heart" or "human" is lazily applied only to electronic records that feature vocals or acoustic guitars, but Tea Parties, ever playful and ebullient just says, "here, hope you like it!" Those that don't might be trying too hard.
