Ass Baboons of Venus are defined as much by their song titles as anything else: the Japanese group has written such gems as “I Am a Bicycle Seat,” “Teenage Public Hair Collection,” “You’ve Failed Again, You Arrogant Twat,” “Nipple Rocket Revenge” and “Mango Allergy Dirge.” ABOV turns out a dead-on parody of the Cramps as that band would be if Lux Interior were the guitarist, Poison Ivy was a deranged Japanese pop singer and the backline was a rhythm machine slightly more sophisticated than a Casio circa 1982.
While the drum box spews out rudimentary rhythms, Bob Limp manhandles his guitar and stomps his effects pedals to create a swirling, twangy space-a-billy atmosphere. Over this, Nono Baba Baboom (Naoko Nozawa) chirps, growls, yelps, implores, declaims and generally appeals for your attention. The lyrics may be conceptual art in that the titles are the only words decipherable (sometimes Baboom’s voice takes off into ultrasonic frequencies), but his charismatic delivery is certainly up to the task of convincing you that “Bad Hygiene Is Good Birth Control.”