Soul Coughing - Irresistible Bliss
Slash 1996

Technically my first introduction to the band, I'd heard the Propellerhead remix of "Super Bon Bon" and was hooked. The album version eclipsed it immediately, though, and once I progressed into the sleepy whimsy of the first half, I was a fan.

And then, the second half hits and the band changes gears. Where Ruby Vroom was largely a single tone album in that there wasn't an overbearing sense of gloom or sarcasm relegated to one half of the album, Irresistible Bliss is clearly split in two.

For every subdued pop song ("Soft Serve") or smart ass love song ("Soundtrack to Mary" and "Lazybones") that the first half features, the second's sarcasm goes from inward to out and the world is Doughty's canvas. The bitter irony of "How Many Cans?" and the stalker in the night sounds of "Collapse" stand in almost direct opposition to the first half.

Not necessarily as successful or memorable as their debut (It would be difficult to live up to "Screenwriter's Blues," "Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago," or "Bus to Beelzebub"), the overall result is still superb. Better integration of samples, quite a few (but not as many) strong hooks and Doughty's perfect nasal drawl lift the album above its occasionally weak song writing.