Self-proclaimed “micro-legendary weirdoz” The Prefab Messiahs have been around in some shape for what seems like forever after forming in Worcester, Massachusetts way back in 1981.
While their output over that time is small relative to the number of decades; they released only one cassette, 1983’s “Flex Your Mind”, before breaking up that year. In 1998, “Devolver” a compilation of previously unheard recordings from the early ’80s was released and the band then reunited for the odd gig here and there.
Almost Ready Records released a single from “Devolver” in 2011 and Fixed Identity issued a another collection of eight remastered songs from the 80s called “Peace Love & Alienation” that same year. In 2013 Burger Records then rereleased a remastered cassette version of “Devolver” and The Messiahs had some new momentum with the word getting out that these guys were definitely ahead of their time.
Their 2015 EP “Keep Your Stupid Dreams Alive” the first bit of new material in decades, was widely praised and now their fourth full-length release “Psychsploitation Today” is out on Lolipop Records, with Burger Records once again releasing the cassette.
This is quirky old school psychedelic garage rock with Kinks riffs, TRex glam swagger, pop chops and lyrics as sardonic as their Australian contemporaries the Hoodoo Gurus, albeit a little more political.
Prefabs’ front man Xerox Feinberg, a self-described “Lost Generation Wanna-be Spokesperson,” describes the the band’s approach on Psychsploitation Today thusly, “The new album is really a mental and sonic continuation of the things we were obsessed about from the beginning — mashing up the sounds and attitudes of ’60s garage-psychedelia with post-punk ’80s stuff and dragging all that into whatever ‘today’ is — while generally trying to poke people in the ribs and skewer some of the Big Shams behind all the Shiny Facades. We still don’t do songs about girls’ names or feeling good. We’re still trying to toss everything into the mix including the kitchen sink. We’re still bemused and shocked and disgusted with The State of Things — and also in love with the noises in our heads and guitars. We like to think that The Prefab Messiahs’ work is never done.”
You can listen/watch the whole record with this genius video album:
