Momus - 20 Vodka Jellies

AMG Review by Steve Huey
Although 20 Vodka Jellies is, as the cover says, "an assortment of curiosities and rarities", it also turns out to be one of Momus' strongest and most accessible efforts. Most of this material consists of well-produced demos (many recorded by other artists), plus a few new songs and some B-sides and outtakes that hadn't made it onto an official Momus release. This sort of collection usually doesn't reward anyone besides an artist's most devoted fans, but 20 Vodka Jellies is actually an effective showcase for Momus' ample skill as a pop songwriter, as well as his musical versatility. "The End of History" and "Nobody" were recorded by Japanese singer Noriko "The Poison Girlfriend" Sekiguchi on her Shyness album, while the first five songs on the album were written for Shibuya-kei star Kahimi Karie; there's also the Momus version of Karie's Japanese Top Five hit "Good Morning World," originally commissioned for a cosmetics advertisement. Aside from being some of his most compulsively listenable material, these songs fit right into the Shibuya-kei movement's diverse, often kitschy tastes, neatly demonstrating Momus' own eclecticism. Also present are four "grunge demos," made when the prospect of a collaboration with Nirvana producer Butch Vig seemed likely; aside from the use of distorted electric guitars, they aren't a tremendous musical departure, but they are solidly written, humorously quirky pop songs. Still, even if he can't quite pull off hard rock, Momus can travel as far afield as crooning a trip-hop/lounge version of the Buzzcocks' "Orgasm Addict," which works surprisingly well once you get past the bizarreness of the concept. In general, the lyrical sensibilities on 20 Vodka Jellies aren't as overtly twisted or perverse as his other late-'90s releases (although several moments certainly are), but the music is impressive and extremely well crafted, and the lyrics are still literate and playful.

Customer review - amazon.com
20 Curried Jams, by Jarrod San Angel
When a grown man - a Scot no less! They of fire and brimstone under their kilts - coos and purrs "I am a Kitten" to open his collection of assorted gems, one of two things happens: 1. The listener, if intelligent and progressive, recognizes the irony, wit, and artistry of such an oddball piece of music, and his or her Antannae d'Intrigue go up, alongside the volume. 2. The listener, if of impaired genetic structure and/or unmoved by things wondrous (think Motorhead fan), gags and wheezes upon hearing, and then proceeds to pump up the Stryper and settle nicely into the couch with the latest Hustler magazine and leg o' mutton. If you are lucky, the latter statement does NOT apply to you. If you are lucky, you too, can appreciate casio-wrought synth folk pop. You, too, can be a Momus aficionado. Momus, like wine, cheese, and face lifts, gets better with age. For only in the musical meddlings of one who's given up on en vogue conventions and corporate rock formats, do you find one brave enough, adventurous enough, and perhaps lost enough to write songs like "Vogue Bambini," "Paolo Conte," and "London 1888," all offbeat dazzlers offered here in this treasure trove. Perhaps there was a day that found the aging Momus frought with anxiety over the state of his fame, gnashing fingers hard against chords trying desperately to write the next "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and find that long "lost chord that would make the world weep." In the midst of his breakdown, an artistic breakTHROUGH must have occured - a loose cannon of an epiphany. "Have Fun." It's so simple - so easy. Momus music is fun music. Like the child Mozart, dazzling the masses at palace ballrooms with whatever came into his franticly creative mind, Momus too sparkles with the zealous nature of a child eager to showcase his latest crayon drawing on the fridge door. "Good Morning, World" celebrates this zeal. "We all went to Heaven in a little rowboat," he sings, taking us along for the ride.. "20 Vodka Jellies" gets less attention than "The Little Red Songbook," and still far less than the oft talked about Patronage Pop Masterpiece "Stars Forever," but it stands as a testament to one artist's dedication to having fun with music, exploring an ever eclectic & eccentric nature, and doing whatever the hell he wants. If only every Britney and Backstreet Lad were so lucky to live by this creed.