Ever wondered what it might have sounded like had the New Kids on the Block recorded an album with They Might Be Giants? No? That's probably a good thing, because then I'd really have to wonder about you. Not like this description of Self is all that accurate, but just listen to "Meg Ryan" off Breakfast with Girls and tell me if it doesn't make at least a whit of sense. Within the context of the whacked- out samples flowing through the song, those Hangin' Tough beats and half- R&B-; smoove/ half- whiteboy- whine vocals actually sound compelling, if still a bit cheesy. Even if you didn't know that Self is the product of a singular genius by the name of Matt Mahaffey, you'd still swear it was almost... Beck-like.
But since the position of "the American Beck" has already been filled by, well... Beck, I guess Self will have to settle for being known as "the American Momus." The persona Mahaffey has constructed for himself is that of an old- school, Serge Gainsbourg- style pop star: cocky, witty, occasionally vulgar, and endlessly charming. Breakfast with Girls strikes an almost scientific balance between starry- eyed innocence and jaded decadence; Mahaffey may not be the coolest kid in school, but he still dreams of a life of jet- setting, celebrity- schmoozing leisure far away from his Tennessee digs.
While that's all well and good, the actual music on Breakfast with Girls is a slightly different matter. Self's songwriting philosophy mirrors his penchant for goofy studio noisemaking; his off- kilter chord progressions are often more interesting than enjoyable, and his compositions are crammed to capacity with ideas that sometimes don't work so well with each other. Of course, some parts of the album do work really well: "It All Comes Out in the Wash" has a dumb, stomping guitar riff with a sneaky little hip-hop bounce to it that makes you want to bang your head and throw your set in the air at the same time; "Breakfast with the Girls" is a woozy trip-hop shuffle with a cheeky R&B-; vocal breakdown; "Sucker" sounds like Soul Coughing remixing intermission music (decide for yourself whether that's a good or bad thing).
Breakfast with Girls walks a very fine line with its intentionally cheesy production; when it doesn't quite work, like on the harpsichord- heavy "Uno Song," the results can be pretty cringe- inducing. Mahaffey has a tendency to cram too many ideas into songs that don't work so well together, turning songs like "What Are You Thinking?" into an exercise in channel- surfing. Bottom line? Self has some good songwriting chops, but they have yet to catch up with his artistic vision and studio skills.
