This came out in 2001 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
More Songs About Girls That Don’t Like Me is the subtitle of this sophomore disc from Nashville roots-rock loons Bare Jr.
For those who don’t know, the “Me” in that title is Bobby Bare Jr., son of the ’70s country star and a man whose talent for hilarious self-ridicule knows no bounds. On their 1998 debut Boo-Tay, he penned the immortal line, “You blew me off / It turned me on.” On their equally enjoyable followup Brainwasher, Bobby picks up right where he left off, putting the fun in dysfunctional on demented love songs like You Never Knew (I Lied), Kiss Me (Or I Will Cry), Miss You the Most and Dog (as in “I wish I was your”). Bare’s wicked wit and plaintive yelp are perfectly complemented by his trio’s boisterous combination of prairie-sized twanging riffs, loping country-rock grooves and glistening electric dulcimer. It never meshes better than on the existential working-man anthem Why Do I Need a Job? “I got nowhere to be, I feel so free,” yowls Bare from the couch. “The hours are great, I’m never late.” Makes you wonder exactly who’s brainwashed and who ain’t.
