''Funny Farm'' is an album by the American band

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

, released in 1993. The band supported the album with a North American tour.

Production

''Funny Farm'' was produced by

Brad Wood Brad Wood is an American record producer located in Los Angeles. He has produced many albums, including Liz Phair's ''Exile in Guyville'' and Placebo's debut. Career Wood is from Rockford, Illinois, United States. In 1988, Wood, along with ...

. It is a loose concept album about country living. It was frontman Ethan Buckler's intention to combat what he saw as the seriousness of indie rock by creating a fun and unpretentious sound.

Britt Walford Britt Walford (born March 16, 1970) is an American musician best known for being the drummer, co-founder, and occasional guitarist for the post-rock band Slint. Early life Walford grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and attended the J. Graham Bro ...

contributed on keyboards.

Critical reception

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' wrote that "the Louisville quartet employs a bluesy groove on songs like 'Dirty City Rainy Day' and plunges into the Delta with the honking 'Bad Cat Blues', but its sauntering rhythms, zany lyrics and boy-girl vocals more often recall the B-52's than Muddy Waters." ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

'' thought that, "with its herky-jerky rhythms and kitschy organ flourishes ... ''Funny Farm bears'' more than a passing resemblance to the B-52’s’ early days—an analogy furthered by the decidedly Cindy Wilsonized vocal harmonies Amy George drizzles over 'Island Paradise' and the frankly touching 'Dirty City, Rainy Day'." The ''

Wisconsin State Journal The ''Wisconsin State Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Madison, Wisconsin by Lee Enterprises. The newspaper, the second largest in Wisconsin, is primarily distributed in a 19 county region in south-central Wisconsin. As of September ...

'' labeled the album "oddly Jonathan Richman-esque pop." ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' deemed ''Funny Farm'' "the compost-rock party record of the summer," writing that "the concept is Southern soul with all the archivism purged away, all the metaphorical presence reduced to a sneer, and all the sing-songy party hooks mixed loud." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' praised the "sparse, casually goofball lyrics spread over chattering funk guitar, danceable bass lines and cheesy organ." The ''

Albuquerque Journal The ''Albuquerque Journal'' is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of New Mexico. History The ''Golden Gate'' newspaper was founded in June 1880. In the fall of 1880, the owner of the ''Golden Gate'' died and Journal Publishing Company was c ...

'' called it "a loping and stilted funk, soul and blues amalgam with songs about running out of gas in Nevada, Kentucky tornados, scuba divers and flippant cartoon characters." The ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by a ...

'' determined that ''Funny Farm'' "brings to mind Dr. Seuss and Calvin Johnson collaborating on a musical version of Orwell's ''Animal Farm''."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

wrote that "the arrangements are fun and playful, as organs and synths creep in among neatly crafted guitar lines and witty lyrics, making for an incredibly live texture -- very fitting for a record with such a lack of seriousness."

Track listing

References

{{reflist King Kong (band) albums 1993 albums Drag City (record label) albums Albums produced by Brad Wood