Illinois Entertainer reviews Monkeypuzzle

Illinois Entertainer, January 1999
Reviews: David C. Eldredge

Not only is Monkeypuzzle a great debut from Boston-based Baby Ray, it can also be seen as the culmination of doing everything right the wrong way. To wit -- lead vocalist/guitarist Erich Groat and guitarist/vocalist Ken Lafler forsook their art-band roots, high-tailed it up to the Canadian woods with a four-track, transferred the results to a few hundred demo tapes, and sent them around the country with a j-card reading "We need a booking agent, a bass player, and a record deal. If you're any of the above, why not give us a call?" It worked.

While each and every cut could easily stand on its own as a respectable (and in some cases exceptional) single, the complete collection melds into a won derfully rich and more complex listening experience. Want proof? Play Monkeypuzzle on random sample -- the album still sounds connected, as of a piece.

These guys are wise beyond their years and their music reflects it. Or, to put it another way: by the time you read this, the first new XTC album in untold years should be hitting the shelves of your local emporium. One could argue that Baby Ray beat them to it.