Surfin' U.S.A.

For more than a decade, all but the most hardened hipsters have balked at listening to the Butthole Surfers. Unfortunate, considering the Surfers have always been more listener-friendly than their, ah, discomfiting name might suggest. This misconception should vanish with the release of the band's latest disc, Independent Worm Saloon (Capitol), on which their enigmatic vocals and normally overwrought soloing have been harnessed by producer John Paul Jones (better known for his former career as bassist for Led Zeppelin) and re-formed into a more accessible package. There's even a groundbreaking live-action/animation video planned, which MTV will be hard-pressed to ignore. On previous releases the Austin, Texas, quartet often resorted to parody. For example, their 1988 LP, Hairway to Steven, was a tribute to Jones and Led Zeppelin's more renowned Stairway to Heaven. But those days of carefree self-indulgence are over, as mainstream acclaim has begun to beat a path to the Buttholes' front door. Even so, the Surfers aren't about to let success spoil them or their beloved home city. Admonishes drummer King Coffey, "Austin's a great town. Don't move there."

B.M.