MOUSE AND THE TRAPS - Cryin' Inside / Ya Ya - Fraternity - 1967

It's been quite a while since I updated the blog properly. Come to think of it, it's been a while since I've done much of anything properly. I don't think I would call it laziness exactly, but more like a lack of motivation, or maybe more accurately a general indifference to practically everything. Nothing feels good or right anymore and this summer is killing me. Those Gershwin brothers are full of shit; it's summertime and the livin' is certainly NOT easy. The livin' is actually kind of a drag, honestly.

Yea yea yea yea, shut up.

Here's a record I stumbled upon a few weeks ago. I had been previously acquainted with Mouse and the Traps though various psych comps, most frequently their song 'A Public Execution,' which never did much for me. I hadn't heard either of these songs before until I picked this up, and they're actually really good, especially the A-side. I guess what surprised me most is that they don't sound much like the other songs I've heard by them, which was always too blatantly Dylan influenced for me. Here they're sounding more garage-poppy and it suits them quite well.

The sad bastard in me really latched onto 'Cryin' Inside' pretty quickly. The title sums the song up pretty effectively and I don't think there's much to dissect about this. It's a really well written pop song with classy garage-ish production and lyrics about not letting some no-good-girl know that she got you down. They really covered their bases with this one.

It's surprising to me that this band didn't get a lot bigger. It's been suggested that they were possibly TOO diverse for their own good, which I guess makes sense in a very sad way. Apparently being too capable has it's downside. Oh well.

Cheers, ya jerks.

PsychedelicElvis