Growing up, Nickelodeon seemed to be my only friend (awww…). But the cartoons as well as the Mark Mothersbaugh scored themes were ample company for me. As TV raised me, my analog friends came and went, but some stuck with me in memory. Of course Rugrats is still on and Pete and Pete was released on DVD not too long ago – although I dare you to find a copy. But I have no idea if Doug made it to the digital revolution. Him, Skeeter and Patty Mayonnaise (who may have been my first love), are missing in action as we speak. But I can’t eat borscht (cold beet soup) without thinking about that show or the fictitious band that each character so loved. And even if the Beets were a pretty blatant Beatles knock off, it didn’t matter. They were cartoon cool.

It is somewhat surprising that it's taken up until just a few years ago for some hip dudes to name check Doug in a musical context perhaps I just haven't been paying enough attention. But some folks from Queens have seen fit to name themselves after these cartoon constructions. I suppose all of this conjecture about what their moniker is based upon could be quickly disproven, but I choose to believe it.

In past write ups, the band has garnered comparisons to the Black Lips amongst other current garagey tripe. But these checks have always been tempered by saying something to effect of, "It's less full." or some other nonsense. And of course that's true. The Beets are a duo, where as the Lips sport five dudes. But if you, dear reader, have had the opportunity to see the Lips live and in an acoustic setting, it pretty much sounds like Spit In The Face Of People Who Don't Want To Be Cool.

Being released on Captured Tracks, run by Mike the Blank Dog, has probably helped the disc out a bit. But really, the Beets could stand alone in any setting and any era. There's the eerie, shit recording quality to add a bit of charm to the proceedings that in some ways end up sitting this effort pretty close to that of San Francisco's Ty Segall. Of course, with that contrast, it would be more than appropriate to say that the Beets eschew any overt punk influences to focus on jangly, sing along pop. Each song, though, clocks in at around two minutes for the most part, which could be find one maintaining that the stark nature of this work is strictly in a punky vein.

No matter. The Beets aren't quite the Kinks, but Spit In The Face easily surpasses the oft hyped releases from So Cal native Wavves. The song craft here is stronger, and this duo, as opposed to Wavves, is able to fill up the space on a track without the exaggerated reverb and feedback that so frequently drowns out most of WAVVVES. But in a market glutted with bands like this, the Beets might not again see the light of day. Hopefully, that's not the case, but no one seems to be wetting themselves over this as of yet.