Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane: "Comfort Organs"

Since the "group's" inception in 2002, Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane has worked tirelessly to bring his legions of fans the newest and best music that he can possibly muster. Comfort Organs is a milestone for the one-man musical comedy act out of Conroe, TX. For one, the album is the tenth full-length album released by the artist. Additionally, the album may very well be the first Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane album to focus on songwriting and musicianship (while keeping it all about comedy) rather than throwing together random songs with random beats and random noises. His previous album, Brand New Sensation, was exactly that; a brand new sensation for fans. As such, perhaps the more suitable name for Comfort Organs should be "Brand Newer Sensation."

Comfort Organs begins with what may very well be one of Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane's most musically impressive songs to date. "Acts of Amusement for the Auspicious Architect" is about the artist's personal struggle with a maniacal genius bent on putting Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane in his "testicle machine." The Man laments, "Someone's got my balls in a clamp and I'm starting to cramp. Talk about your rotten luck!" Talk about your all-time best ways to begin an album. The song has the artist falsettoing his way through an arpeggiated segue that sounds so much like Muse that you'll forget you're listening to Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane. That is, of course, until he starts singing about testicles again.

The next song, "A Lingering Smell of Tuna from an Unidentified Source" features The Man's vocals at an unprecedented power-level. When he sings, "I think you're hiding something in a can!" I got chills and once again did a double-take at the album's liner notes. This song is followed by "The Black Kiss." If you don't know what the black kiss is, I definitely don't want to spoil the surprise. Suffice to say, it's gross. Here, the artist sings "I'm gonna give you the black kiss, baby" in what can only be described as a voice that's straight out of the trailer-park. The song starts off slow, and kind of boring, but it eventually gets pretty catchy, and don't be surprised if you find yourself singing along. Actually, go ahead and be surprised. This is a song about the black kiss, after all.

The next track is pretty self-explanatory. It's called "The Original Ending to a Song About Myspace Girls" It's only 26 seconds long, but it's hard not to like this one for it's sheer amount of craziness. It definitely makes you wonder what the rest of the song sounded like (if it even existed). "Movies" is a fairly decent song, but it may also be one of the weakest tracks on the album. It's about having a friend who's a girl, but that girl does stuff with all her other friends that she doesn't do with you. The Man's vocals are pretty good here, but the song itself seems to be lacking the "umph" that most Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane songs have.

If you've been keeping up with the development of Comfort Organs, you should already be acquainted with the next song, "Laguna Beach," about the infamous MTV show. In it, the artist vocalizes the thoughts of every guy ever forced to watch the show with his girlfriend/gay lover, singing "I don't care what you say. Laguna Beach is so freaking gay!" Which it is! He later laments, "I can't stand the people who can sit and watch this pile of poo. Another season justified as I die a little more inside." It's surprisingly funny, even in its subtlety, and is definitely one of the best Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane ballads ever.

"Golf Cart Serenade, You Are My Muse!" is a throwback to Brand New Sensation more than anything else. The lyrics don't make much sense but it's still a really fun song, just like most songs on that album. For example, the song begins with The Man singing "The tranny with a magnified light source came riding in the store on a white horse." All attempts to make sense out of these lyrics or any other on the song for that matter will likely be futile. The next song, however, is a little more straight forward. The title pretty much says it all, "How I Invented the Dirty Sanchez." Again, if you've been keeping up with this album, you should know this song. It's currently featured on Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane's Myspace page. It has a very catchy chorus and an equally as catchy beat. This is another standout on the album!

I'll go ahead and say it. "Love of the Lifelong Variety" is the best love song Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane has ever made. Written from the point of view of the stalker, you'll be amazed at how the song can be both creepy and endearing at the same time. This song is enough reason to buy the album. It's better than "Jamie Smiles" and "Glazed Rolls and Cinnamon Butter" combined! This song is followed up nicely by the much-welcomed remake of the classic Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane song "Staple Puller" from 2004's Do the Charleston! It's very much like its predecessor, only better produced, and with a much better beat! Any fan of the original has to check this one out!

"Rockin' the Mangina" is a fairly solid representative of many Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane songs of the past, in that its title is probably much better than the actual song. It's not a bad song, by any means, but hearing The Man rap is like listening to Wesley Willis sing. Still, the song features an eerily similar, yet still welcomed, resemblance to the standout track on 2005's These Few, "400 Sticks of Winterfresh Gum." Whereas that song involved the artist in a sketchy situation with his father, this one is with his mother. The chorus is catchy and the lyrics are funny, but the rest of it is forgettable.

"The Highest Level of Sanctimony" is yet another song about nothing, ala Brand New Sensation, while the following song, "Like Love" is another classic Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane ballad. If you don't pay attention, you'll think you're listening to a love song. Listen closely though, and you'll realize it's exactly the opposite. Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane has always had an uncanny ability to lay on the subtle humor, and this song is no different. It is a song that's funny in its lyrical content, and not its execution. It's also very very catchy and funny. Of course, if you were starting to doubt the artist's ability to cut loose and freak out, then the next song should be just the thing. "The Sweet Milk (Or What Have You)" is, you guessed it, a song about nothing. However, The Man has managed to make one of the coolest beats in recent BNATSC memory and capitalize on it with cool vocal effects and an unforgettable vocal performance!

From here, the album begins to wind down with yet another ballad, "Jesus Comes in the Climax," a song about a phenomenon that only regular church-goers would probably understand and/or find funny. Still, it's a bit humorous to hear Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane mimic contemporary praise and worship music. In fact, it makes the subject matter that much funnier. By the time the chorus comes along, you'll be thinking Jesus is right there with you (so be sure to lift your hands up)! After that, the album comes to a close with the title track, "Comfort Organs," a loud, in your face song that's the closest Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane will probably ever come to playing rock music (not counting the live tracks from 2004's live show). In it, the man talks about the difficulties of coming up with fresh, funny material after 250 songs! He sings, "I'm gonna be straight up, I'm not a funny guy...Everybody knows my hooks are bad, my beats are crap, my jokes are lame, and I still can't rap!" It's not so much funny as it is awesome! It'll definitely rock your balls of if you're not careful. So keep a tight grip on 'em.

Overall, Comfort Organs may very well be one of Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane's best albums ever, if not the best! Unlike his previous two albums, These Few and Brand New Sensation, Comfort Organs doesn't really have a song on it that feels like its out of place or just useless filler. In addition, the album doesn't really have a lot not to offer. Even if you don't find Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane's musical content humorous, you'll still like the hooks and the music itself. The artist has definitely matured a lot over his 4 1/2 years as Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane, but if anything it has only helped him to reach a broader, more diversified audience. Whether you're a long-time fan of Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane, or completely oblivious to one of the most creative minds in musical comedy today, Comfort Organs is simply an album that's too good to pass up.

Recommended for fans of Butt Nugget and the Silent Cane, and anyone who wants to know what the black kiss really is.

Key Tracks:
1. "A Lingering Smell of Tuna From an Unidentified Source"
2. "Laguna Beach"
3. "How I Invented the Dirty Sanchez"
4. "Love of the Lifelong Variety"
5. "The Sweet Milk (Or What Have You)"

7 out of 10 Stars

Purchase the album here!