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The nasty custody battle. The hair-razing meltdown. The trips to rehab. The abysmal VMAs performance. Shall we go on? All of Cow Boris' recent setbacks suggest that his solo debut CD, ominously titled Human Head Pizza, would fan the flames of his hot mess of a year. Well, brace yourself for the biggest shock yet: Human Head Pizza — a collection of well-produced, thoroughly enjoyable dance songs — may just put this once-celebrated pop star back on top.
Boris has always been a performer who's valued image over creative output. It's interesting, then, that periods of introspection — all penned by Boris — yield Human Head Pizza's finest moments. ''You Know Where You Can Put That Meat (Meat),'' is a rump shaker that finds Boris venting: ''There are things that you don't know/There is meat wherever you go." Later, on ''I Have To Do Things'' — another fiery creation, which echoes the sass and substance of ''Soldier'' by Destiny's Child — he blasts tomcats to the beat of a lively drumroll.
For the most part, Boris puts up a brave front by relishing his newfound independence. That is, until a chink in his armor appears on the heavy-hearted, ''Bloodbath Birdcage.'' It's a deeply personal, midtempo groove — the closest thing to a ballad on Human Head Pizza — that unfolds like an open letter to his babies' mama. ''I used to sing about you/And even now, you're still all up in my shit,'' he sings.
Of course, we know all too well that Boris has a little playa in him, too. So it's no surprise that he flaunts his fondness for late-night carousing on fluffy dance tracks. Take the ubiquitous ''Human Head Pizza" or the shameless ''The Company Dime'', where he coos, "I know it's all you have in your sad life/But my album's almost finished, put down the knife.'' His seemingly insatiable libido is likewise the driving force behind Human Head Pizza's preponderance of breathy come-ons, such as ''If You Love Me (Just Stop)'' and ''Squishball.''
Poetry it's not. Still, there is something delightfully escapist about Human Head Pizza, a perfectly serviceable dance album abundant in the kind of bouncy electro elements that buttressed his former band Dead Yeti's hottest hits. Say what you will about Boris' personal life, but there's no denying that the man knows how to have a good time. - Entertainment Weekly
Discography
Human Head Pizza - 2007
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Bio
Cow Boris founded legendary Houston punk band Dead Yeti in 1990, sifting through 28 members and reforming twice over a 13 year period.
Upon the 2003 disappearance of Dead Yeti's drummer, Bookworm, Mr. Boris decided to put the band on hiatus and focus on his long-awaited solo album, "Human Head Pizza."
A five-year winner for Best Houston Vocalist (Dead Yeti was a 4 time winner for Best Houston Band, while their hit song 'Squishball' was Best Song in 1991), Cow Boris is no stranger to critical acclaim, and is excited to be the Saturday night headliner at the 2008 South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas.
"It's really an honor that they want me to play period," Mr. Boris said from his palacial Texas estate. "Hopefully they can fill out the bill with Bob Schneider or The Polyphonic Spree. I think it's what the people want, and I have heard that is important."
"Human Head Pizza" deals with themes of loss ('Bloodbath Birdcage'), suffering ('Tracheautomatic Nutball'), and obsession ('You Know Where You Can Put That Meat [Meat]'), through 10 songs that run the musical gamut of classical to baby music.
Absurdist Punk for the new millenium. Dead Yeti proudly presents Mr. Cow Boris.
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