Gigging around the same town that would soon yield the Violent Femmes - Milwaukee, Wisconsin – the guys in Plasticland sound more beholden to ‘60s rock stuff then the stripped down sounds of the ‘70s. There was of course still that revved up aggression that was the hallmark of the punk era, but it was tempered by sappy background vocals and a litany of mid-paced rock with enough twisted guitar soloing to confuse the most sober and even the unapologetically stoned.

What Plasticland did well, though, was to come up with songs and ideas – lyrically – that may have been relatively common, but were related in unique terms. These guys aren’t the lost Beatles or anything, but on its revamped initial long player – either the European released Color Appreciation or the self titled disc that was issued in the States – there’re a spate of interestingly phrased songs about drugs. No, it’s only pretend intellectual. But in the album’s vapid lauding of the trip there’s enough charm to get the effort over to current audiences.

“Elongations” – This track might be the fastest paced and most aggressive out of anything that the band turned in. There’s a non-stop bass thudding that jives pretty well with the muscular drumming that may as well have come courtesy of Fred Flinstone. But atop of all that is the knotty and bleary guitar chords alongside some wayfaring solos. This is what pop would have sounded like if everyone – EVERYONE – in the ‘60s was tripped out. The title of the song, as if it needs proper explication, is in reference to the erratic and surprising visuals that come along with those ever fabulous drug experimentations.

“Euphoric Trapdoor Shoes” – Utilizing much the same guitar sound here as on “Elongations,” Plasticaland dials back the pacing here in order work in some group sing alongs. It works to good effect even as some of the twinkling bells and whatnot only serve as a reminder that his isn’t an authentic artifact, but something dreamed up in a Midwest dungeon sometime during the early ‘80s. It doesn’t detract from the overall product and if nothing else, it’d be difficult to think of a better chorus than, “I’m walking in my trapdoor shoes.”

“Pop! Op Drops” – Beginning a song with a line like, “The walls are breathing,” generally points to how incredible it’ll be. Also making use of the extended metaphor where candy supplants acid is just short of awesome. This track too is one of the few places that the weird jingles and jangles that the group inserts as a backdrop works to its advantage. The one problem is the fact that it only clocks in at about a minute long. Good thing trips are longer.

“Mushroom Hill” – This here seems to be the lone, specific homage to fungus instead of those “Pop! Op Drops.” It’s the most pop oriented of the love songs devoted to drug usage here. But that might point to the difference in experience between the two substances – that’s only conjecture, my dear law enforcement officer.