Barnes & Barnes had pretty big hits with the release of their songs Fish Heads and Party In My Pants. Decades later, the cult musicians bring forth the darkly comedic Barnes & Barnes: Pancake Dream. This isn’t some behind-the-scenes feature about the creation of the titular album. No, this is actually 13 music videos tying into Art and Artie’s release.
“…13 music videos tying into Art and Artie’s release.”
The songs range from overtly hilarious to solemn, from the outright bizarre to the quite relatable. While I did not love all the songs, most of them are very catchy and insightful. The themes Bill Mumy and Robert Haimer (the real-life people behind the fictional brothers) deal with throughout each song are universal: mental health, politics, relationships, sex, and much more. The good thing is that the duo’s musical abilities and energetic personas mean that no matter how weighty the subject matter, it is done in a more lighthearted manner.
Most of the videos that comprise Barnes & Barnes: Pancake Dream are grainy, with lots of superimposing of images atop of each other. However, don’t take that as a bad thing, as the visuals are hypnotic and used to striking effect during each song. While Barnes & Barnes may not be everyone’s cup of tea, if one does like them, or enjoy avant-garde music, then they’ll enjoy these music videos very much.
"…the visuals are hypnotic and used to striking effect..."
