Chomsky
Onward Quirky Soldiers (Idol) And then the army marched south. After solidifying North Texas under a tight, New Wave regime, Chomsky heads down to the capital, armed with the potent ammo of Onward Quirky Soldiers. Unlike Hannibal, there’s no need for elephant-like gimmicks, although quirky generals from the past like XTC and Devo come to mind. In the end, the kicker is the pure Cicero-like oratory abilities displayed on “Straight Razor,” “Gravitate,” and the potent “00:15:00” (aka “Fifteen Minutes to Rock”), a piece of direct-hit artillery so powerful it could take over the nation’s airwaves in a heartbeat. A one-hit wonder Chomsky is not, however, as the album’s opening trio of songs have a near-perfect mix of hook and interlude. Sean Halleck’s quiet refrain of “this is the good part, this is the good part” between rising crests of vocal harmony on “Inside” captures a rare frozen moment of musical nirvana that happens to be as sweet and accessible as a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Never mind that Quirky Soldiers suffers a visible drop-off toward the end, the casualties are successfully mitigated by a number of successful maneuvers on the way downfield. The loyal Chomsky Army is drooling over this offering, and their ranks are swelling by the day. Join them, why don’t you? 
This article appears in November 16 • 2001.