Uke-Hunt – Uke-Hunt

I visited this CD when I was in Sonic Boom in Toronto during our May trip. I didn’t buy it then, though, because I had a lot of other stuff in my basket already and it was a full-price new release and I could get it easily enough when I was ready. When I was back on our June trip, it was still there! So while I had the second chance, I rescued it!

Also, please note, I will be adding their 7″ of The Prettiest Star/Ben to my Grail list. I wants it!

Uke-Hunt – Uke-Hunt

First off, yes, I think the name is hilarious. Of course I do. I am a silly boy who still snickers at fart jokes.

Anyway, this is (lead singer) Spike Slawson from Me First And The Gimme Gimmes (I LOVE THAT BAND) doing more cover tunes, this time with a ukulele (and a band that isn’t MFatGG). The story goes that when Spike started learning the ukulele for the intro to the Gimmes’ cover of R. Kelly’s I Believe I Can Fly (I know!), and it stuck. He learned more songs, and then started this band.

Now, where MFatGG take slower songs and speed them up into punk, here Uke-Hunt takes faster songs and slows them down to uke-led cool jams. So great. Spike’s voice is perfect for this stuff, and the band knocks out killer versions of all of this stuff. I really dug the bass work too. It’s all very tasteful. The whole thing comes off sounding like it was recorded in the 50s. I love it!

Have a look at the tracks (and their original artists):

Because  (the Dave Clark Five)
Animal Farm  (the Kinks)
End Of The World  (Skeeter Davis)
Green, Green Grass Of Home  (Johnny Darrell)
Enjoy The Silence  (Depeche Mode)
Needles And Pins  (Jackie DeShannon)
The Prettiest Star  (David Bowie)
Fascination  (many people did this one)
Rainy Days And Mondays  (the Carpenters)
Ready To Take A Chance Again  (Barry Manilow)

In Sum: 

My only complaint is that this record is way too damn short (10 songs in 26 minutes). I can only hope they’ll crank out a whole bunch more of these. This is friggin’ brilliant! YES!