Funland (album)

Funland is the third album by American improvisational band Unknown Instructors,[1][7] featuring Mike Watt (The Minutemen, fIREHOSE, The Stooges, Dos, Banyan),[8] George Hurley (The Minutemen, fIREHOSE, Red Krayola),[8] Joe Baiza (Saccharine Trust, Universal Congress Of),[8] poet/saxophonist Dan McGuire.[7] The album features guest vocals by David Thomas (Pere Ubu)[1][9] and artist Raymond Pettibon.[7][10]

Funland
Studio album by
Unknown Instructors
ReleasedMay 12, 2009[1][2][3]
Recorded2006
GenreExperimental rock, improvised music
LabelSmog Veil
ProducerJoe Baiza, Joe Carducci, Dan McGuire
Unknown Instructors chronology
The Master's Voice
(2006)		 Funland
(2009)		 Unwilling to Explain
(2019)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Rolling Stone[4]
Punknews.org[5]
Spectrum Culture[6]

The album was recorded at the same time as the previous album, The Master's Voice.[11]

Track listing
  1. "Maji Yabai"
  2. "Those Were the Days"
  3. "Later That Night"
  4. "Frownland" (Captain Beefheart cover[5][12])
  5. "Door Of No Return"
  6. "Afternoon Spent At The Bar,Sunny"
  7. "C'mon"
  8. "Chicago,Illinois"
  9. "Lead!"
  10. "No Words"
  11. "No Chirping"
  12. "Last Waltz"

Musical Personnel

Reception

Mark Kemp of Rolling Stone gave the album three out of five stars.[4] Mike Villano of Metro Times praised the "experimental and eclectic sounds" as well as the vocals and said "If you didn't know better, in fact, you might think this is a lost Captain Beefheart album."[12] Punknews.org gave it three and a half stars calling it "a fantastic musical trip."[5] James Yates of Staten Island Advance said "the groove-heavy sinew and heady humor heard on "Funland" provides a singular trip that touches the deep recesses of mind and body, opening all kinds of guarded emotions and new possibilities" but found the 10-minute-long "No Chirping" indulgent.[7]

Brian Loeper of Spectrum Culture was less enamored with the album saying "Under no circumstances should anyone ever listen to this album" and giving it a single star.[6] Graham Sanford of Gapers Block also criticized the album sarcastically calling the band "the '80s punk/alt-rock set...equivalent of the Traveling Wilburys" and compared them to "The Magic Band as fronted by four Ken Nordines in search of a roadmap."[13]

References
  1. Breihan, Tom (March 25, 2009). "Mike Watt Drops Album, Tours, Writes Opera". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  2. "In The News: Neil Young, The Lemonheads, Tortoise, Eels, Broken Social Scene And Free MP3s". Magnet. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  3. Costello, Brian. "Mike Watt & the Missingmen, Nones". Chicago Reader. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  4. Kemp, Mark (May 26, 2009). "Unknown Instructors - Funland". Archived from the original on May 31, 2009. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  5. "Unknown Instructors Funland (2009)". Punknews.org. August 14, 2009. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  6. Loeper, Brian (June 2, 2009). "Unknown Instructors: Funland". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  7. Yates, James (June 21, 2009). "MUSIC REVIEW: Unknown Instructors' 'Funland'". Staten Island Advance. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  8. Shimamoto, Ken (April 15, 2009). "Unknown Instructors". Fort Worth Weekly. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  9. Gallucci, Michael (June 11, 2009). "Pere Ubu Make a Radio Play for the Internet". Cleveland Scene. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  10. Krinsley, Jeremy. "New: Raymond Pettibon sings, squawks for Mike Watt project". Impose. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  11. Huddle, Mark (September 7, 2007). "Interview: Joe Baiza and Dan McGuire of Unknown Instructors". Verbicide Magazine. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  12. Villano, Mike (May 6, 2009). "Funland". Metro Times. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  13. Sanford, Graham (May 11, 2009). "Mike Watt: Still Banging Away in the Engine Room". Gapers Block. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
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