2nd Hand

After four full-lengths, four seven-inches, and four compilation appearances, Providence, RI’s Arab on Radar officially broke up due to “irreconcilable differences” because “these differences have compromised the creative process.” However, the record label Three.One.G has put two of Arab On Radar’s long out of print CDs, Queen Hygiene II and Rough Day at the Orifice on one CD.
For those readers who are unfamiliar with the sound of Arab on Radar, here’s a bit of a description: the singer sounds like he’s being forced to sing with a clothespin over his nose while being pulled apart in some medieval torture device. The lyrics are very random and foul, yet somehow it flows together. This band would be good background music for watching someone mentally insane prance around in a straight jacket in a padded cell.
Queen Hygiene II was originally released in the summer of 1997 by Heparin Records and includes the original bass player Andrea Fiset. It is a very danceable and musically much akin to Erase Errata’s new album, At Crystal Palace. However, the lyrics are another story - they are extremely dirty in a high school honor student type way. For example on “St. Patricks Gay Parade” the lyrics are “I just want to glance at her nipples. They are getting bigger, bigger and bigger. Wow, her nipples have tripled in size. I was a normal guy but now I am turning into a Peeping Tom.” Great song titles abound, like “Attack on Tijuana,” “Capt. Mouth,” and “Rubber Robot.”
Rough Day at the Orifice was originally released in February 1999 by Op Pop Pop Records and was recorded by Weasel Walter of Flying Luttenbachers infamy. It has a rougher production value than Queen Hygiene II, and it seems to have more of a no-wave approach with less of the danceability factor. More great song titles on this set include “Biggest Little Prick in the Union,” “Don’t Call Him a Retard,” and “Red Panties at Night… Sailors Delight.” (adequacy)