Pest - Necessary Measures

The fun starts right away on Pest's debut album, NECESSARY MEASURES. "Chicken Spit" displays an indominable sense of eclectic humor. There's a definite "jam band" feel here, even on the stuttering funk of "Duke Kerb Crawler" or the Charlie's Angels/reggae collision of "Jefferson Shuffle." "St. Pest" goes slightly more sedate with some piano and strings, though these are no less processed than elsewhere. "Dr. Umz," on the other hand, mixes a peppy little number with a Morse code underlay, though the MC is not terribly inspiring; "Moody Hoe," with its breaks and flanged horns, is more solid. The deep resonating bass of ukelele plucking of "Relief" end the album, saying, in essence, that even if the songs don't cohere 100%, they're held together by fun.