When the Presidents of the United States of America disbanded in January 1998, it seemed like a logical move. After songs about peaches, fussy kittens, and Speed Racer, what can a band do? Frontman Chris Ballew bashed out more pop under the tag of an imaginary band of stuffed animals, the Giraffes, but it never caught on. Now the newly reformed Presidents are back for a new term on Freaked Out and Small, and the state of the union is excellent indeed. While the band's studio swansong, II, was a lackluster offer, Freaked Out is a punchy, assured collection of tongue-in-cheek rock songs. The opening one-two punch of "Tiny Explosions" and "Nuthin But Luv" sets the hyper tone, leading into whacked-out, sugar-coated salutes to the planet Jupiter, jazz musicians, broken hearts, Star Wars, and ticking human time bombs. A laugh-out-loud, toe-tapping winner. --Jason Josephes
