Reviews: Turn Me On Dead Man – We Are The Star People

Turn Me On Dead Man

We Are The Star People

Alternative Tentacles

Street: 07.09

Turn Me On Dead Man = The Flaming Lips (circa Soft Bulletin) + The Dandy Warhols

When it comes to the current psych revivalist scene, you have the natural musicians and the thespian musicians. By thespian, I mean those who put too little effort in their music and too much effort into sounding (and looking) “trippy.” This includes—unfortunately—Turn Me On Dead Man. The new age mysticism concepts on We Are The Star People comes off as too contrived, the riffs are too cut-and-dried (especially when paired with the band’s Marc Bolan and George Harrison influences) and the lyrics sound like drivel spewed from a smug yuppie backpacking in India. Beneath this, however, is a modicum of true talent. The vocals are good, the arrangement works in some areas, and there’s a lot of potential to be had. Guys, it’s okay if you really don’t like Allen Ginsberg—nobody cares. –Gregory Gerulat