The Strawberry Explosion

Carrie Hoffman and Rusty Spell bring back Phil Spector, doo-wop, happiness... and the beauty of the CD single.

see The Mnemonic Devices, The Immaculate Conceptions, Rusty Spell, 'nikcuS, Robert Brenton, Synthetic Fibers, The Naked Donnas

Information: The Strawberry Explosion
Suggested First Purchase: "Baby, Baby, Boo!"

"Then He Kissed Me" (2004) -- A good and fun cover of the Phil Spector/Crystals classic, backed with interesting remixes of the song. The beginning of a long series of fun singles. A

"Kissy, Kissy" (2004) -- The first Strawberry Explosion original, lyrics penned by Carrie Hoffman, in the same sugary vein as "Then He Kissed Me." The extra tracks are better than the first single here, with complete remakes of the song rather than just remixes. A

"Baby, Baby, Boo!" (2004) -- The first single written by Rusty Spell, a Halloween love song. The rest of the single features, for the first time, more than just re-makes and remixes but new songs, all of them Halloween themed. The highlight is "The Monster Mash." A

"Christmas at Wartime" (2005) -- The Christmas single (to follow the Halloween single), a great track even if it's essentially a remake of ABBA's "As Good as New" with new lyrics. The B-sides are, as always, fun stuff. This one includes a Sun Studios recorded karaoke version of "I Walk the Line." A

"Boobalean" (2005) -- The closest thing TSE's done to straight rock so far, backed with five remakes/remixes of the song, including a vocoder version. A

"My Humps" (2006) -- A poppy cover of the Black-Eyed Peas song, backed with a straight cover of the song, an academic in-joke version ("My Comps"), and a vocoder version that's downright transcendent. A

"That Boy" (2006) -- A 50s girl group motorcycle song featuring some of the funniest B-sides: "The Abortion Graveyard," "City Boy," and "The Ogre at Easter." A