I have to admit. The early Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids demos are a guilty pleasure of mine. The psychedelic-industrialised-punk rock and raw tape hiss makes a nice change from the over-thought and over-polished albums the band became known for. A lot of what Wrapped In Plastic do is lifted straight from these embryonic demos - from artwork to production they proudly plagiarize everything. Which I think is a far more fitting tribute than simply becoming another cover band.
I think what sets this band apart from the army of spooky kids wannabes is that they have obviously done their homework and have looked beyond MMatSK to THEIR own influences such as Nine Inch Nails and The Butthole Surfers. This has allowed them to strike out and create their own original take on the Spooky Kids ethos.
The opening track ‘Unreal’ features the distinctive sample from ‘Strange Same Dogma’ and a riff similar to ‘Thingmaker’ which comes together in a clattering chorus of overdriven guitars and thrashed keyboards. ‘Your Face’ sounds like it has a bit of Gidget Gein’s Dali Gaggers mixed into a raucous low-fi, but catchy number that strongly resembles a spooky kids song but one that I can’t put my finger on. ‘Mother Love’ has an air of ‘Snake Eyes and Sissies’ and ‘Strange Same Dogma’ again to it in passing, but stands apart as a toe-tapper on its own merit. ‘SuperMensh’ is a track that has the same kind of elements as the Spooky Kids material but it does feel like it has more of it’s own identity as it’s not readily identifiable with any of the material from which the band draws their inspiration.
There are plenty of people that will dismiss Wrapped In Plastic out-right as a glorified covers band, but there have been a lot of bands that have started by imitating their idols and ended up having a strong following. The band have successfully captured the ethos at work on the early Spooky Kids demos, and the originality of these songs lends them a certain charm. But while it is fun, and I’m sure it is very fun to watch live judging from the overall press-pack I received, it’s not groundbreaking enough to have Trent Reznor breaking their door down.
http://www.myspace.com/wiplastic
